A Ninth Chance
by ingol
Summary: In which Mukuro is reincarnated into the Naruto world.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Katekyo Hitman Reborn

* * *

The newborn mentally sighed as it was birthed.

...

"It's a girl!" Someone announced.

"Hikari. Yes, I'll call you Hikari." A female voice softly told her. She felt a hand stroke her forehead. Great, she was still blind. She hated being a baby. She paid no mind to the fact that her gender had been switched... again. She let out a scream to express her annoyance, and was quieted by the gentle rocking.

"Can I hold her?" A voice asked. It sounded young.

"Just don't bite her." The female voice, presumably her mother, told the other. She was passed to another set of arms, one that felt smaller.

...

What did her mother mean by bite?

"She's tiny." The voice said.

"You were like that too when you were a baby. Your sister is going to grow up in no time."

So she had a sibling in this world. This was new. She had a mother and a sibling. But where was her father?

She let out a low whine and grabbed a fistful of her sibling's shirt. It took a lot of effort. And it seemed that she would need to train herself up from scratch again. How troublesome.

There was some cooing, most likely from her mother. She yawned loudly, and lost consciousness to sleep, still in her sibling's arms.

* * *

Hikari sat in the mindspace alone. The darkness shifted to the little garden that had always been her mindscape. Entaka sat under a tree, reading a book. Takao was sitting on a bench, one arm supporting his head, and the other on his sword. Mukuro was tending to his illusionary plants.

It was interesting, how each life had affected her so differently. Entaka had been her seventh reincarnation, and was the first of Mukuro's reincarnations to form a permanent subconscious in their shared mindscape. Takao had been the second, and thus had plenty of help from Entaka. It was probably somewhere around then where Mukuro's personality stopped heavily affecting them- his reincarnations.

She was Hikari now. Hikari was a newborn, but with over a century of mental experience. Hikari shifted into the body of a teenager.

"Let's start."

* * *

Hikari yawned once more as she woke up, finding that this time, she could see. She felt someone watching her, and slowly turned to look back at the watcher.

The boy had blond hair and bluish-grey eyes. He was standing over her crib, his hands on the railing, and were those mouths on his palms?

This wasn't her first time being reincarnated. But this was her first time being thrust into a story she had read before, three lifetimes ago, when she was still a bitter male with nothing better to do.

This was her brother? An insane antagonist was her brother in this life. Hikari steadily ignored the fact that technically Mukuro was also an insane antagonist. She stared at him and he stared back at her.

Slowly, she smiled and reached for him, making grabby gestures with her chubby hands. He leaned closer to her. She tugged at his long blond fringes. He grinned back and lifted her from her crib. Sure, he would probably turn out to be a psychotic bomber, but he was still her brother, and for now, she thought as she cuddled into her brother's chest, she was very much content.

Three lifetimes in different realms and one with a certain Sky had mellowed her. She no longer wanted the world to burn to blood and ashes. No, she would burn those who dared to hurt her loved ones to blood and ashes.

* * *

Hikari sucked on the milk bottle her mom was feeding her. Her mother had long blond hair that reached to her shoulder blades. Her grey eyes were accented by the pale skin that she had. Hikari looked at her reflection on the bottle, going cross-eyed in the process. She had the same blond hair as her mother, and probably the same heart-face shape too. Her eyes were a bright blue, reminiscent of her life as Mukuro, even though they were more of a dark indigo then.

Hikari experimentally waggled her fingers and toes. She stuck out her tongue as she reached to dismantle her crib, only to be stopped by an unfamiliar person. He had reddish-brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"Tou-san!" Her brother shouted and ran towards their father.

This was their father? Hikari tilted her head to study the man. Huh, she could tell where her eyes came from at least.

Her brother looked more like their father, she concluded.

"I'm sorry I missed your labour, dear." Their father lowered Hikari back into the crib.

Her brother mimed gagging behind their parents' back. Hikari cackled, though it was more of a high-pitched squeal on her baby self. He grinned at her, picking her up and rushing from the room so that she wouldn't have to witness anymore of the mushy scene.

Damn did she like her brother. Somehow, Hikari had a feeling that for the first time in all her lives, she was going to be pampered as a child.

* * *

Deidara was four. He knew that he was known as a genius to many, entering the Academy at the start of the year and was due to graduate in a year or two. He loved his parents and his little sister, Hikari. But while his sister had proved to be smart, probably smarter than him, Deidara knew that she wasn't in any way just a genius.

Hikari knew things that he didn't, that even Mama and Papa didn't. She set off his ingrained 'danger' senses ever so often. He loved her, but she was scary in a strange 'I can ruin you' kind of way.

This observation of Deidara was further cemented a year later when he had accidentally bitten off the wing of her owl plushie, Mukurou. Mama had brought Hikari out into Iwa one day, and for some reason, Hikari had been attracted to the white owl that had been sitting on display. Given that Hikari was usually 'good', Mama had bought it for her. Hikari had then affectionately named it Mukurou.

She had it for about a month, even going to great lengths to keep Mukurou clean, when Deidara accidentally bit it while holding on to it, and in a rare moment of clumsiness, ripped the wing clean off.

There was a moment of silence. Hikari went shock still. (She still had the ingrained instincts of a one-year-old, damn it.) Then she pitched what Deidara would call a Nightmare of a tantrum. She wailed, even breaking out the waterworks. Deidara stumbled back nervously, still holding onto her owl.

Then, she threw seeds at him. Seeds that quickly sprouted into large plants the size of his head in mere seconds. The plants had mouths with sharp teeth, and had acid dripping out of the openings.

Deidara would swear in the future, that they were definitely not Genjutsu. He had a very healthy respect for his baby sister though, and it took him a solid week to stop cringing at the sight of her.

* * *

Her illusions were different from this 'genjutsu'. 'Genjutsu' affected the senses, a bastardised version of illusions. Her illusions affected the body entirely by tricking it to believe that it was there. That was how Mukuro had managed to convince Chrome's body that there were still organs in her body. In other words, her illusions differed from genjutsu as they could directly affect the body, something the ninjas in this world had yet to find a counter to. Honestly, ninjas were so caught up with their chakra that they forgot the most important thing: willpower. If you believed that her illusions were not real enough, they wouldn't affect you.

With that conclusion, she realised that in this world, she had absolute power; she was its God. After all, as Mukuro had once said: the whole world is an illusion. She just had to find a way to twist it to her liking. Ever so slightly, ever so subtle, until it was in her complete control. What could these shinobi 'illusionists' do that a real illusionist couldn't?

She smiled inwardly and began planning. To learn how to deceive, to pretend not to know, to trick others right under their noses, to know, observe and alter the world around you such that no one could know what was real and what wasn't. She knew these simple rules of being an illusionist.

How could those 'Genjutsu Masters' call themselves illusionists, when none of them knew that illusionists were meant to be utter realists that could never wallow in denial; that illusionists were always meant to downplay themselves from a ferocious beast to a harmless insect, that illusionists were not meant to be seen or known.

She had let her first brother naively believe that she could conjure plants out of nothing. He had believed that it was an illusion at first (rightly so), but was soon aware of how 'real' those plants could be. She had left it at that. He didn't know that she could summon armies of them. He didn't know that she could alter reality by just casting a simple illusion. And for all that she felt undeniable love to her brother, he would never know that she could coerce and make anything with a mind believe and follow her to her own whims.

* * *

At the end of his fifth year, Deidara proudly showed off his hitai-ate to his baby sister. Hikari looked up from the history book she was engrossed in and up at him when he had come barrelling home. (Which was pretty impressive given that their village was an hour's walk from the gates of Iwa, and that he wasn't panting at all.)

"I graduated! I'm a genin now, imoto." (Given the fact that he hadn't actually paused to think about bragging to his parents, but his one-year-old sister, it actually showed how close they were and how much Deidara actually respected her.) Hikari left that though process for later.

"That's great!" Hikari beamed at her brother proudly. And wasn't it? When they were five, Mukuro had been experimented on by his own parents, Entaka had been sold into slavery, beaten into submission, and Takao had been a starving street urchin busy learning how to wield a sword to defend himself after losing his family and almost dying himself to hundreds of near-fatal attacks. (Probably not the kind of 'great' Deidara was taking it, but learning how to kill people willingly, he had it good.)

Their parents would later come in sometime in the late afternoon, coming back from some shinobi/ kunoichi mission, congratulating Deidara, who was still proud of himself of making his sister proud of him.

Hikari had laughed at that thought, startling her entire family.

* * *

It was screwed up. Hikari admitted to herself. She was fucked up.

She had spent her second birthday refining on how to kill people in her mind. She practised her katas in the safe walls of her home, unknown to both of her parents. Deidara had an inkling, because he was smart. He had always been intelligent in that way. He paid more attention to her. He loved her, and respected her in turns.

She knew that he knew that she was more than just a child. Even the most realistic child genius wouldn't have the experience that she had. The experience in running an underground syndicate, the experience in hidden politics. A child genius wouldn't have known all the ways to kill someone. Neither would the child know how to manoeuvre someone into revealing all their cards unknowingly.

A life of a shinobi was dark, filled with all shades of grey.

But no shinobi had ever been her. No shinobi had ever singlehandedly destroyed an entire organisation, albeit a small one. No shinobi had ever stained their hands with the amount of blood she had. Her kill count from all her lives reached thousands. Hundreds, perhaps, but not thousands. Never thousands.

* * *

Hikari was twenty-five months old when she met a man. He was just sitting there, the only person in a small stall in her little village. She loved small villages. Everyone knew each other. Need to fix something? Go get that man three houses down the street. Want some good gossip? Visit that woman next door to have tea.

Hikari was bored, she would admit that. But she had sensed something in that man. Or maybe he was just interesting. Who wore heavy armour in broad daylight anymore?

So she had hopped onto the seat next to the man, ordered some yakitori, and asked very bluntly.

"Who are you?"

The man turned to look at her.

"Just a shinobi."

Like that wasn't vague or anything.

"I'm Hikari. Who are you?" She repeated.

"…Han." The man turned away from her to return to his food. Hikari pouted.

"So what do you do?" Hikari persisted. She wasn't going to let entertainment go so easily. Besides, Han was… different. Like he knew how it felt to be put in a nasty light.

"I'm a shinobi." Han repeated.

"I mean whaddya do? I know what shinobi are." Hikari shot the man the cutest glare she could manage.

"I am a frontal assault fighter." He said after a small sigh.

So he was strong. Few ninjas were ever used for frontal assault. Usually, jinchuriki were sent out. Ah. No wonder. Jinchuriki were rarely put in a good light, especially in Iwa. They were viewed as weapons, and were closely monitored. It was likely that there were shinobi somewhere in the village keeping track of him.

"Ngh." She made a small noise of comprehension.

How hard was it for someone to not be treated as a human being? If shinobi were considered tools, what would that make jinchuriki? Tools that were there to be thrown away at your very whims?

Hikari speared her yakitori harder than necessary.

It wasn't right. Jinchuriki never wanted to be demon containers. They were ostracised, most likely from birth. How many people had let their prejudice get the better of them and discriminated against them? How many lonely nights had these containers spent, to never have a shred of hope?

It was like Entaka all over again. Except that Entaka had memories of a previous life, she had Mukuro to help her. The only person this Han had was probably the other container lurking somewhere around Iwa.

"How hard is it?" She asked, voice slightly softer. Han glanced at her.

"It's the only life I've ever had." Ah. If Hikari had decided to take it a different way… She mentally gave a bitter smile.

"Life isn't fair." Hikari repeated. Life hadn't been fair to Takao. Life hadn't been fair to Entaka. Life hadn't been fair to Mukuro. But for once, life had been good to Hikari. And that was scary, because Hikari had never known better. She had never been pampered.

"You got it good kid." Han managed a snort from under that armour.

"I know." Hikari smiled just a little. And she knew. Three lives of pain taught her that. And she'll be damned if she ever took it for granted.

Han just huffed and shook his head. He probably thought that she was just spewing empty words, but she knew that she had his interest.

"Life of a shinobi is hard, but life of a jinchuriki is even worse." She spoke softly, in a way such that no one else could hear her.

"Smart kid." Han commented almost offhandedly. Hikari knew that he was anything but.

"Thank you." Hikari beamed. If her smile was a tad bit less cheerful, the man wouldn't know.

"Few people ever listen to the woes of a jinchuriki." Han stated it like it was a joke.

"Is that more than people who would listen to a kid?" Hikari asked. Han was intelligent. He had to learn how to read people because of the demon in him. He didn't care about age. That was what she had managed to derive from him so far. He didn't understand her like Deidara did. But-

"You are no kid. Young, yes. But you are not a child." Hikari quirked a smile.

"Really." Hikari drawled, finishing off the last of her food, just as a devious idea struck her.

"I'm bored, Han-nii. Let's play!" Hikari announced cheerfully, completely bypassing the serious mood. That took him off guard at least.

"Wha-"

Hikari shot him her best kicked-puppy expression. Han froze altogether. Hikari took it as her win, and dragged him off. What could she say? She was bored.

* * *

"Wait, wait. So everything that lives needs chakra to survive?" Hikari asked. They were a distance aways from her village. Somehow, she had managed to strong-arm Han into explaining the basics of a shinobi for her. His watchers were amused. Very very amused, she thought as she glanced in the direction of the poorly hidden snickers.

"Then why can't shinobi absorb chakra from the plants?"

"That's nature chakra." Han replied long-sufferingly.

"Do you even want to be a kunoichi?" He asked. Hikari paused. Did she?

"…I-I don't know." She replied haltingly. No, she would never stand to be under someone's rule. She would never be able to put the village before her brother. Her parents, if she had grown a strong enough attachment perhaps, but not her brother.

She glanced up at Han, who raised an eyebrow at her internal conflict.

"I… I want to travel. I want to see the world. I want to know what sights there are in the Elemental Countries and see them all. I want to… I want to tread out of the Elemental Countries."

"That's a bold proclamation."

"I know. That's why I want to get stronger, so that I can survive." Hikari clenched her fists. She knew she was weak in this life, so pathetically weak. Mukuro was the best illusionist. Entaka perfected the art of silent killing. Takao could single-handedly push back armies given enough weapons. Where did that leave her?

Hikari considered the fact that she was referring to herself and her various lives as separate people, even though they were essentially herself.

"…I think I'm having an identity crisis." Hikari mumbled. Han raised a barely visible eyebrow.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own KHR or Naruto

* * *

Hikari waved off Han and his watchers sometime during late noon, and shuffled back to her house.

So chakra was pretty much everything in this universe. If you didn't have chakra, you would die. But wasn't there some way to absorb chakra from the surroundings to prevent death from chakra exhaustion? Nature chakra ran the risk of being turned to stone. Was it possible to convert nature chakra to normal chakra?

Hikari blew out a breath. This was confusing. She briefly considered going on a sabbatical to visit some monks to find out. That idea was quickly wiped away. Her brother would blow a fuse. She hated being in the body of a two-year-old.

She flopped onto her bed and dove into her mindscape.

Hikari ignored her other consciousness, and tried to look for a pool. There had to be a pool of chakra somewhere!

Takao coughed to gain her attention, and pointed at the fountain. Hikari felt like slapping herself. Of course. Hidden in plain sight.

She slowly walked up to the fountain, and leaned over the edge, reaching a hand out to touch her chakra pool.

All of a sudden, she was jerked out of her mindscape. Hikari opened her eyes and saw her hands filled with a bluish colour. So this was chakra. Interesting. So chakra was a kind of energy that replaced life force. Or rather, chakra was life force. So shinobi essentially used their own life force for their jutsus.

An image of the Arcobalenos came to mind. Hikari laughed bitterly and shook her head to clear her thoughts.

"…Hikari?" Deidara stood at the doorway and watched his little sister with slightly narrowed eyes.

"I'm fine nii-san. I'm fine." Hikari gave him a reassuring smile.

Deidara stared at her.

"All right." He nodded stiffly.

Hikari smiled at his back. She loved him, and she knew he loved her back. So why did she feel like she was always staring at the backs of the ones she loved?

* * *

It was a rare day when both her parents were off on a mission and her brother was home on leave.

"I wanted to spend some time with you." Deidara admitted when she asked. Hikari would deny that she had felt warm inside at his words.

The two of them would eat lunch together, and Hikari would spend the day telling Deidara outrageous-seeming stories.

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl born. She had hair as dark as the night, and skin as pale as snow. She was dainty, but she was loved only by her father. Her name was Entaka. When Entaka was five, her father died of illness. Left with nothing, Entaka's mother had no choice but to sell Entaka into slavery. On her fifth birthday, Entaka was officially a slave, where all her light was forcefully extinguished. She was taught how to be submissive, and to do everything her master asked of her without question. Entaka was ten when she was finally sold." Hikari told her brother, as if she was recalling a memory. Deidara just sat there and listened, because how could he not when it felt like his sister was laying her soul bare for him?

"…She learned, she waited…"

 _Entaka slowly chopped the vegetables. Most slaves stuck together, but there were a few that would betray each other for something. She couldn't afford to trust anyone. Entaka still had her long and slightly wavy black hair. Her skin was still pale. And she knew she looked like a princess out of a fairytale. But for slaves, being pretty was just a disadvantage. Entaka knew that her 'master' was waiting for her to grow up a bit more. She mentally scoffed. No one was her master._

"When Entaka was thirteen, she stole her master's daggers and stabbed him in the lungs. Entaka escaped."

 _Entaka stole her master's dagger. She tightened the sheath-holder on her arm, such that it was hidden by her kimono. She walked lightly to her master's room. It was time. She knocked gently on the door. She looked blankly at his pudgy, greedy face. Entaka unsheathed the dagger and stabbed him in the lungs. She watched with satisfaction as he wheezed, gasping for air, begging for help, only to breathe in his own blood. Entaka looked around the room, grabbing whatever money she could find. She placed them into a money pouch an elderly slave had given to her before he died, grabbed the keys and slipped out of the room. Entaka locked the door and dropped the keys, using her foot to rub them in the dust, before kicking it into the room._

 _She made a roundabout to her ex-master's weapon room, where she grabbed a handgun. She slipped it into the folds of her kimono and made it off the property before anyone could find the body._

"That marked the start of one of the best assassins in the region..."

 _Entaka found and killed those men with money. She soon earned a reputation as 'Yuki-onna'. A beautiful woman who appeared out of nowhere and killed those who had wronged her, to slip back into nothing._

 _Entaka knew all the ways to kill someone. Stabbing someone in the throat with a pen. Grabbing someone's head and knocking it at an exact angle against the edge of a table. Breaking a wooden chair into pieces and stabbing someone with it. Strangling someone with clothes lying around. Putting poison in their tea. Putting something in their food such that they would choke on it and die._

 _There were so many possibilities, not counting Mukuro's illusions. She knew she had no regrets._

Hikari started at the feeling of someone hugging her, but relaxed when she realised that it was her brother.

Absently, she wondered how could Entaka be so different from Mukuro. How could Hikari be so different from Entaka? Mukuro was a psychopathic bastard with a sick sense of humour. Entaka was a cold and detached slave-turned-assassin. Takao was basically Mukuro pulling a Yamamato.

"If someone did something to you, you'll tell me, un?" Deidara asked her, looking into her eyes with a serious expression. Hikari smiled.

"Yeah. Of course nii-san." She had no idea if she was lying, when she was telling him, only in the form of stories.

Deidara pulled away from her.

"Can we get some takoyaki, nii-san?" Hikari asked.

"I think you're addicted to it." Deidara muttered, but got up to visit the food stall anyways. Hikari slipped her hand in his, and they walked together, side-by-side. Hikari let a small, but real smile surface. It was times like this when she thought that Mukuro was wrong, that maybe the Human realm was worth it after all.

* * *

Deidara held his sister closer to her as the thunderstorm outside raged. Hikari wasn't scared, she never seemed to be afraid, but he pressed closer to her anyways. There were times when she would shiver. He would never ask whether if it was from the cold or from fear. He would only play the silent companion.

Then there were times like now when she would hum or sing in an unknown language, like she was singing someone to sleep. Occasionally, he wondered if she was singing herself to sleep.

"You've got it all  
You lost your mind in the sound  
There's so much more  
You can reclaim your crown  
You're in control  
Rid of the monsters inside your head  
Put all your faults to bed  
You can be king again"

She sang softly. Deidara felt himself drifting in and out of sleep, and wondered if she was singing to him.

Hikari glanced at her sleeping brother.

Chrome had sang that once. Perhaps she had wanted Mukuro to realise where he had gone wrong, perhaps she had wanted him to rise up from the ashes once more. Mukuro would never know. Neither would Hikari.

She snuggled into his chest. Her brother wouldn't understand her words either, but she could only hope that he wouldn't fall into that downwards spiral of insanity, just like he had in the original series. He wasn't a character anymore, he was her brother. He loved her more than their parents did. She loved her parents, but she would gladly sacrifice them for her brother, even if it meant that he would hate her.

* * *

Hikari was three-and-a-half when she met the five-tailed jinchuriki once more. She had greeted him with a beaming smile with sparkles. (Sasagawa Kyoko had taught Mukuro a lot of things about cuteness. Hikari wouldn't forget her anytime soon.) She knew that there was nothing his watchers could do about her, because she belonged to a small clan whose kekkai-genkai were highly valued by Iwa's Explosion Corps. Once she had realised that, she had taken advantage of it whenever she needed to.

She had found out that Han disliked humanity in general, leaving bits of his soft spots out for kids like her. He was like Mukuro in that sense.

Hikari then spent the rest of the day playing with his steam that was gently exuded from his armour.

Hikari actually liked Han as a person, partly because Mukuro would have formed a sense of kinship with him, and partly because he was nice, and never treated her like she wouldn't understand something whenever she asked a question. He ranked somewhere slightly below her parents on her list of people she liked.

She was briefly reminded of a little boy with brown hair, huge shining eyes, a striped scarf that covered his chin and a gap-toothed smile. Even three lifetimes after, she still regretted some things that she had done as Mukuro.

This pampered life had softened her.

* * *

Her brother was now eight, and he had somehow developed a love for sculpting. He was becoming more and more like the character in canon, and Hikari had absolutely no idea if her presence here had changed anything. That scared her, because she didn't want her brother's arms to be ripped off. She didn't want him to self-combust. She didn't want him to become that madman.

Deidara was meant to be reckless, yes. But he was supposed to be her brother, and that meant returning to her!

"Nii-san?" Hikari tugged on her brother's sleeve almost childishly.

"Yeah?" He looked down at her.

"Promise me something?"

"What?"

"Promise me that you'll never blow yourself up."

"…I'm not that careless, imoto." Deidara smirked.

"Promise me." Hikari persisted. She never wanted that scene to happen. It didn't matter if he didn't understand now. Her brother never went against his promises. He had better remember if it ever came to that.

"…I promise." He raked a hand through his hair and sighed.

Hikari stared at him like she was taking him in. She then nodded resolutely and walked away. Deidara rubbed his eyes. What was up with her?

* * *

It was rare when the whole family was home, but it did happen occasionally.

After breakfast, her mother pulled Hikari closer to her.

"How about we train while the boys play around?" She whispered into Hikari's ear playfully. Hikari nodded enthusiastically. Finally!

"This is my favorite jutsu. Then again, I'm probably biased because this is the one I made." She laughed and did some hand seals.

"Senkai no hanabira!" She exclaimed, and a dome of petals formed around her.

"Throw something at me." She ordered. Hikari mentally shrugged, picked up a pebble and tossed it to her mother. The petals knocked the pebble around, and the pebble bounced onto the ground in front of me. Hikari picked it up and examined it. It was chipped badly.

"I wanna learn that." She quickly said.

"I was going to teach you anyway." Mother smiled at her.

"The petals are a mixture of genjutsu and earth release. Using genjutsu, I made the bits of rock seem like petals to conceal them." Mother explained while Hikari listened attentively. So enemies would be more likely to let their guard down, even if it was just slightly. That was clever. Hikari reflected thoughtfully. As expected of her mother.

* * *

Hikari sat on the top of the tree. She was reminded of her first conversation with Han. Did she really want to explore the world? For the first time, she felt lost. In her past lives, she always had something to do. She was always working towards something. But now, she had absolutely nothing to do, no drive except to protect her brother. Maybe she would explore the world. She would then write down records of the sights, the people and the journey. And maybe, just maybe, she would find her purpose.

Mukuro had his purpose, no matter how skewed. He had always wanted the downfall of the mafia world. In the end, he had joined Sawada Tsunayoshi and his mafia-turned-vigilante-group. Entaka had wanted to survive, and to free slaves like her from those who took advantage of the slave trade. Takao wanted to survive as well, he had trained himself up from scratch and drove away those who dared come close to the ruins of his birth village. He had wanted to rebuild his village, to see it prosper once more.

And Hikari. Hikari once had no purpose. She still had no purpose other than to protect. But perhaps she would explore the world. And maybe then, she would find her purpose once more.

* * *

"What do you think of this?" Her brother pulled her to a side and grinned almost maniacally as he yelled, 'KATSU!'

The resulting explosion was beautiful. She gasped as the white light formed and burst outwards. The loud blast hurt her ears at first, but she quickly ignored that in favor of watching the orange dome of pure energy form and dissipate, small cinders floating down onto the crater where the small patch of earth had once been.

"It's amazing." She whispered, clearly awed. Her brother had already started to develop his explosions into an art form.

"Yeah. Art's a blast, un."

Hikari forced herself to not freeze and to keep moving. Did she even change anything at all?

Deidara seemed to notice, because his smile slipped slightly.

"Hikari?"

"I-I'm fine, nii-san." She smiled brightly, never mind the fact that it was forced like over half her smiles were.

"If you say so." He said, still unconvinced.

How could she be happy and cheerful when her brother was descending into darkness? She didn't want that. She wanted her brother alive, damn it! She was scared, so afraid, but she couldn't show it, because it was dangerous. Questions would be asked, unwanted questions. She wouldn't be able to answer them all truthfully, even if they were half-truths. There would then be a small chasm between them, because _Hikari_ _wasn't_ _Mukuro_. Hikari couldn't lie to her loved ones without feeling guilt. Hikari was compulsive, no matter how much of Mukuro's manipulative mind she had retained. It was dangerous, so dangerous. And the worst part was that Hikari _knew_ that she might be heading down this dangerous path, and there was _nothing_ she could do about it.

So she lay low and waited.

Waiting, just like always.

Just like Mukuro. Like Entaka. Like Takao.

Hikari was always waiting.

* * *

Hikari was four now. And she had a bad feeling. Her brother was confused when he had returned from his C-ranked mission and was barrelled into by his sister. Hikari kept glancing at the clock. Because something bad was going to happen, and please don't let it happen to her brother.

Sometime late at night, a ninja knocked on their door. Deidara opened the door warily, his sister behind her.

"...killed in action." Hikari sat down with a loud thump. She felt numb. A part of her knew that this might happen. She wanted to feel sad. But she also felt relief that it wasn't her brother. She hated herself for it. They were her parents. She might not have spent a lot of time with them, but they were her parents. They hadn't abandoned her like Mukuro's, Entaka's, or Takao's. They had stuck by her and her brother, even going onto more missions to make enough money to keep the both of them comfortable. They actually took care of her, so why was she relieved? She should be feeling sadder than this. But the most prominent emotions were guilt and relief.

Would Hikari have gone to hell if it was possible? She was a bad person after all. But she was numb all over, feeling the wrong emotions.

She felt warmth, and broke out of her trance. Her brother was trying to wipe away tears while hugging her. The jonin was politely not noticing his tears. Hikari felt something wet run down her cheek. Was she crying? Or were those her brother's tears?

"Thank you for telling us." Hikari managed to choke out. She didn't feel like speaking. Her throat constricted. The shinobi nodded and shunshined away. Hikari shut the door.

She collapsed back onto the floor and silently mourned for those who she had called her parents. They had actually taken care of her. And they were the first set of parents who she had called 'Mother' and 'Father', and actually meant it. Because unlike those of her past selves, they had _cared_.

She buried herself into her brother's chest. For the first time, she mourned for the ones who she had called her parents. She didn't know whether she was crying, but she didn't care. She might not have loved them as much as her brother did, but they cared for her, and she liked them. She wouldn't be able to know what they liked and disliked, like her brother did, but she knew what they were like. And she had loved them in return.

Then, something occurred to her.

They were orphans now. Her brother was an orphan. The story was catching up to her.

* * *

They spent the night mourning. Then, they had to pack their stuff the next week, because the Tsuchikage had adopted them.

Her brother had the option of being an emancipated minor, but he wouldn't leave her. Politically, it was a smart move. Because Deidara was intelligent. Deidara had as much a chance of becoming the next Tsuchikage as the current Tsuchikage's own granddaughter, who was roughly two years younger than Deidara. But both siblings knew that. Most importantly, Hikari knew that. Because Hikari was vindictive. And she would make Onoki regret moving onto them so soon after the death of the ones she had called her parents. After all, what was Mukuro's manipulative mind for if she didn't use it?

Mukuro knew politics. Entaka knew how to verbally stab people in the gut, _painfully_. Takao knew how to gain people's favour. And Hikari would wield these gifts her previous reincarnations had given her.

* * *

The first time the siblings met Onoki after the announcement that they were both adopted, Hikari took whatever chance she could to discreetly insult the old man. Deidara had shot her incredulous looks, because it was basically suicide if Onoki caught on, and because he never knew she had that kind of flair. Her words were all double-edged swords, and she knew that. But whenever she was caught, well, Takao had always been the king of bullshitting.

It was fun watching her brother trying to contain his snickers. She had hard-pressed not to laugh as well, because this was just fun. But if she laughed, that would give the game away, so she ended up keeping her poker face and laughing in her mindscape.

* * *

A/N: The song is called 'King' by Lauren Aquilina


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Do not own Mukuro or Naruto

* * *

The Kubatsu clan's kekkai genkai generally started to manifest when they were four. Her brother had developed it earlier than most, ergo the complete mouths on his hands when she was still a newborn.

Hikari never received that kekkai genkai. She had expected this, so she wasn't exactly surprised. But for some reason, Deidara was more disappointed than she was.

Hikari's eye twitched as she watched her brother mope around in his new room. Why was her brother upset when she wasn't?

"Nii-san. It's fine. Stop sulking. I never expected to get the kekkai genkai anyway. I always took after kaa-san more anyways." Hikari told her brother patiently.

"I'm not sulking." Deidara snapped. Hikari raised an amused eyebrow. Deidara scowled petulantly.

* * *

Kurotsuchi stared at the younger blonde. She had a vague idea of why her grandfather had insisted on adopting them, and she didn't like it one bit.

The older was a genius and she respected that. But why did they have to take in the _kid_ too? She felt like younger girl had intruded on her territory.

Hikari looked back at the Tsuchikage's granddaughter blankly. She knew what the raven-haired girl was thinking. A certain skylark was always preaching about the animal kingdom after all. Hikari snickered, and felt the glare increase ten-fold.

"Let's spar!" Kurotsuchi challenged.

"Eh?" Hikari tilted her head to the side as the older girl dragged her to a private training ground.

"Why?" Hikari asked.

"To see who's stronger, duh."

"But I don't know any taijutsu." Hikari told her innocently.

She didn't know any taijutsu, but she knew how to fight.

"I don't care!" Kurotsuchi leapt at her. Hikari ducked out of the way.

So this was a test of seeing who was better. Hikari noted. Kurotsuchi most likely knew that Deidara was stronger than her, so she could tolerate his presence at least, but Hikari? Hikari was never officially taught. While her parents and Deidara had taught her a few things, she never had a stable teacher, so it was hard to tell whether she was stronger or not. Hikari smiled inwardly, dodging a punch.

In other words, to make Kurotsuchi respect her, Hikari had to beat her.

Hikari sighed, and slid into a position Entaka had used. She blocked the other girl's punch, and returned with a high-kick. Kurotsuchi evaded that.

As expected from the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, eh? Hikari laughed grimly inside her head.

If Hikari hadn't had the memories of her previous lives, she would have lost. But Hikari did have her memories. So even though her body wasn't used to fighting, especially against an opponent that was trained from birth, she had a high chance of winning.

Hikari caught her opponent's punch. As the other kicked, she shifted position such that the kick would miss, and did a judo throw that disrupted the other's momentum. Hikari used the chance to run and drop-kick the other girl in the chest.

After all, even though her opponent had been trained from birth, Kurotsuchi wasn't experienced. She wouldn't know how to deal with a battle where the flow shifted rapidly, while Hikari did.

Hikari landed on the ground, and planted her feet firmly into the ground.

She watched as her opponent got up shakily.

Somehow, it felt like the flow of battle had shifted.

Hikari let a smile spread on her face. She rushed into the battle-turned-spar again. It had been over four years since she had an actual fight. She spun around in mid-air, and kicked the other. She, no, _they_ dodged the lava-coated fist. So it came down to jutsus now, huh?

Hikari attempted a genjutsu. The world _shifted_. Kurotsuchi was visibly taken aback by the depth and detail of the genjutsu. Hikari grinned.

She had found out early on that genjutsu worked better on a single opponent. It took some work to get the chakra control down, but once she was done, it turned out that illusionists were great at genjutsu, especially when they were mixed slightly with Mist flames. (So she cheated a little, but it wasn't like anyone would find out.)

Hikari ran and hit the other's neck. Kurotsuchi fainted. Hikari dispelled her genjutsu and sat down, breathing rather heavily. She needed more work. A lot more work. She corrected, glancing at the couple of bruises she had earned.

Mukuro wouldn't have allowed Kurotsuchi to touch him. Entaka would have killed her once she came into arm's reach. Takao… would have obliterated the other.

"What was that throw?" A familiar voice asked. Hikari glanced at the entrance of the training ground. Deidara walked closer to his sister.

"It uses the momentum of the opponent to disable them for a short while." Hikari informed him.

"You made it?"

"…something like that." Deidara frowned slightly, but didn't press her for further answers.

"I'm going to take her to her room." He pointed at Kurotsuchi.

"So you mean you don't mind going into the room of a pre-teen girl?" Hikari smirked. Deidara also seemed to get her implication, because he spluttered and jumped back as if he were burned. Hikari cackled.

"I'll take her." Hikari offered, and dragged the older girl out of the training grounds, kindly ignoring her brother's red ears.

* * *

Hikari managed to sneak out of the Tsuchikage's complex. Honestly, she had no need for lessons on etiquette. She knew how to be polite, she just preferred not to act like a stuck-up noble. In a way, she was doing it for Entaka.

Deidara had no time for lessons on etiquette, that lucky guy. He was off training. At this rate, he might be able to take the Chuunin exams next year.

Hikari slipped into a random food stall. Compared to the one food stall in her little village, there were dozens of stalls in Iwagakure. It was disorienting, to be honest.

Hikari was about to order something, when something, or rather, someone caught her eye. She ran out of the stall, and tailed her target. If he was busy, she wouldn't bother him. But if he wasn't…

Suddenly, he disappeared. Hikari blinked in confusion. Then she squeaked as she was lifted up.

"You again?" There was no mistaking the amusement in his gruff voice.

"Hi Han-nii!" Hikari waved sheepishly.

She was quickly put down, because who would want to see the hated jinchuriki interact with the newly adopted child of the Tsuchikage. Hikari wasn't exactly happy about that, but what could she do?

She had to bide her time and wait. Wait again.

"I'm always waiting." She told him as she skipped alongside him. He had told her that he was meeting someone called Roshi.

"Why?"

Hikari tilted her head slightly. "I don't know. Maybe I'm waiting for someone to kick start something. Maybe I'm waiting for something to happen. Maybe I'm waiting to grow older to do something. But… I think I'm waiting for a purpose." She told him silently, in a way reminiscent of Entaka.

"Is that so?" Han asked rhetorically. "You know that you've just been adopted by the Tsuchikage, right?"

"I know." Hikari replied grimly.

"You're not happy."

"He forcefully adopted us right after our parents died! It wasn't like I could tell him, sorry, but no. And wherever I go, my brother goes. He only adopted me to get to onii-san." Hikari muttered bitterly.

"Hmm." Han ruffled her hair. Hikari smiled slightly. Han wasn't one who liked physical contact.

"Nii-san knows too. But he _still_ allowed himself to be adopted, even though he's already a genin!" Hikari allowed herself to complain to her companion.

"Really? Who is he?"

"Deidara. Nii-san's supposed to be some kinda combat genius or something. And I know nii-san's smart, but sometimes, he's just stupid!" Hikari kicked a rock childishly.

"And sometimes he just doesn't think! For someone who's supposed to be a genius, he's so idiotic! I love him, 'cos he's my nii-san, and he's my only proper family, but sometimes I feel like he's… just not there. He's starting to become distant. I don't like that. I don't want that." She continued to ramble.

"I feel like a kid." She smiled, somewhat exhausted.

"You are young." Han agreed.

"You told me that I wasn't a child. Why?"

"You have old eyes."

So eyes _were_ the window to one's soul. Hikari thought. But how many souls did she have? Did she have one, four, or nine?

Mukuro's reincarnations were his own. But Entaka, Takao and Hikari were all Mukuro's reincarnations. Hikari shook her head. This was getting confusing. And, wait…

"Did you just call me old?" Hikari narrowed her eyes. Han stumbled ever so slightly.

"No, of course not." He denied quickly.

Hikari huffed. It was clear that he had no idea how he had slighted her. She supposed that she would let that slide for now. She ignored the boyish laughter in her mindscape.

* * *

"We're going out of Iwa?" Hikari asked, looking around at her surroundings.

"…Roshi… he prefers not to interact with Iwa when possible." Han said quietly.

"Ah." Hikari nodded. Then a thought occurred to her. She stopped in the middle of the road.

"I forgot to tell nii-san!" She exclaimed. Hikari tilted her head and thought about it for a moment. The most Deidara would do was blow things up while searching for her. That would probably generate more paperwork for the Tsuchikage.

"Nevermind." She declared and continued walking. She could feel Han's thoughtful gaze linger on her.

Deidara would be fine. Probably.

* * *

Meanwhile…

"What do you mean she's not here, un?" Deidara yelled at the hapless instructor. Kurotsuchi clapped a hand over her mouth to hide her smile.

"S-S-She just disappeared!" He protested weakly.

"What kind of teacher are you? There were only two fucking students, un!" He snarled and stormed out of the room.

He was going to find Onoki and get the old man to explain, ignoring the fact that Hikari could take care of herself.

* * *

"I think I'm better at genjutsu." Hikari explained to Han, forming a leaf on her palm. She passed it to Han. He gingerly took it and examined it.

"It's very detailed, and it feels solid." He said with a frown in his voice.

"Mhmm. Nii-san said that I might have created an illusion of a man-eating plant that scared the crap out of him when I was one." Hikari folded her arms behind her head.

"Genjutsu are illusions. They are not meant to be solid." Han said slowly.

Genjutsu and illusions are different. Hikari thought. Illusions are meant to be solid, genjutsu are more of mirages. But she continued to let Han talk.

"Perhaps you unlocked a different form of kekkai genkai?"

"Nope. If I had a kekkai genkai, I would be exploding things. Like nii-san." Hikari smiled somewhat sadly as she was reminded once again about the plot.

There were so many different variables. Would he refuse to join the Akatsuki if she introduced the jinchuriki to him? No, that wouldn't work. He had lost a bet or something like that. Something about Itachi casting a genjutsu on him. Did that mean that Hikari should train her brother against Genjutsu? No, wait. Itachi was a genius, and he had a year on Deidara. Her brother wouldn't win either way. Maybe she should make him promise her something? But what could she do without generating more questions?

"Han?" Hikari asked timidly.

"Hmm?"

"Say, what if hypothetically, I know something bad might happen to my nii-san, and I can't let nii-san know about it? What should I do? Hypothetically, of course."

"…Hypothetically, you would be there, yes? You could stay by him and help him." Han regarded her with a curious look.

"Oh. Oh. I feel so stupid." Hikari blinked and shook her head. Of course she would be there. If she was there, Deidara might still defect, but he'd probably bring her along. If he didn't, she would still follow him and beat him up for not inviting her along. Then, if she was there, the bet probably wouldn't happen because she wouldn't let it. Or maybe she could exploit a loophole, and disregard the entire thing. Then her brother would be safe.

"…When we get back to Iwa, I'm introducing you to nii-san." Hikari decided. Maybe she really was thinking too much. Han would be good for her brother in any case.

* * *

Roshi was… interesting. And odd. And somewhat hard-headed. Hikari mentally added. He was like a cranky old uncle.

"You brought a kid. Why would you bring a kid?" Roshi gestured at her.

"What's wrong with being a kid?" Hikari retorted, feeling like she should be insulted.

"You're a kid. What about your parents? Unless he's your father." Roshi turned to Han, a suspicious look in his eye. Hikari bristled.

"He's not my father, damn it! Dad isn't…" She yelled at the old man, waving a hand in Han's direction, unsure on how to continue.

"That's what they all say." Roshi muttered.

Hikari glared at him.

"She's just a… friend." Han assured.

"She's a kid." Roshi deadpanned.

"What's wrong with being a kid?" Hikari repeated, somewhat peeved.

"Nothing. Forget I ever said anything." Roshi flippantly said and ignored her. Hikari twitched. Damn it. Goddamned four-year-old instincts.

"Fine!" Hikari returned childishly and sulked.

She felt slightly sorry for Han, having that cranky old coot as the only other jinchuriki around. Speaking of which...

"Why don't you guys have some sort of annual meet-up or something?" Hikari interrupted the two.

"Annual meet-up? Between jinchuriki?" Han voiced. He sounded incredulous.

"Mhmm. I mean there are nine bijuu, so there should be nine jinchuriki. That means seven others like you guys."

"We know how to count, brat. The Hidden Villages will never let that happen. What would happen if we all decided to form a hidden village of our own? Besides, some jinchuriki like the one-tailed and the nine-tailed container are kept secret. Even though everyone obviously knows who they are." Roshi scoffed.

"A mini hidden village sounds nice." Hikari stated pointedly.

"Not very loyal to Iwa, are you?" Roshi stared at her sternly.

"Nii-san's loyal to Iwa (I think). I'm loyal to nii-san." Hikari returned. "I'm not even a goddamned ninja!"

"Point." The old man admitted, and took a swig of his sake. Hikari wondered where the bottle of sake came from.

"If you can find a way to gather all of us in the same place, then maybe we'll consider a gathering, eh? Han?"

Han nodded along.

She fell silent and listened to the conversation between the two. It was actually an interesting set-up. Han would inform Roshi about the things that happened in Iwa, as well as the information Iwa had access to, while Roshi would tell Han about the info he had gathered while in self-exile.

Hikari had a feeling that she would probably like the other jinchuriki as well. Perhaps this would be her goal.

* * *

Hikari later returned to Iwa in better spirits. How could she not, when she had a challenge laid out in front of her, something for her to finally do?

Deidara turned out to have blown up almost all the training grounds from all that pent-up stress. When he found Hikari, he had lectured her about leaving by herself.

"Nii-san. I think I'm finding myself again." Hikari told him with a smile that couldn't be anything but tired.

Deidara just hugged her. Because his sister was hurt, had been hurt, and he hadn't known that, he had no idea what was wrong with her. (He wouldn't understand until much later that she was what the others would call 'broken'.)

* * *

Hikari laughed as she lay next to her brother on the cliff. She rested her head against his arm, watching the birds fly in the sky. She reached out a hand, as if to grasp the clouds.

It was perfect, so perfect. If only things could always remain like this. Was this peace? Hikari asked herself silently.

"What's peace, nii-san?"

"…I don't know." Deidara answered honestly. His life as a shinobi were filled with blood. He had gotten his first kill when he was seven. He didn't know what peace was, even if it was staring at him in the face.

"I think that peace is tranquil. Small little moments like now. I want it to last forever, but that would just be boring, y'know?"

"…yeah. I think I do, un." Deidara admitted.

Hikari felt herself drifting off to sleep, then there was a huge vibration that jolted her awake. She jumped to her feet, as did her brother. The both of them exchanged startled looks. An earthquake? Here? In Iwa?

Then there was the sound of crumbling earth. Her eyes widened. Of course things would never be perfect. Life had never been fair for Rokudo Mukuro and his reincarnations. She ran forwards and pushed her brother towards the mainland with all her strength. The earth had already been eroded from the rain, and with the earthquake, it broke. Hikari slipped on the uneven rocks and was sent tumbling down to the river below.

Hikari watched her brother stare at her as she fell. She sighed. She should have expected something like this. And she had. She had just been in denial.

So Hikari closed her eyes and smiled one last time for her brother. She refused to see his tears. She refused to hear his horrified yells. She refused to acknowledge the fact that she was crying. Good things never lasted. But for now, she would pretend that this was the end. She would pretend that she was happy. No, it wasn't pretence. She was happy. At least she never had the chance of losing her brother. She was selfish, but she wanted to be selfish, if it meant that this wasn't another tragedy.

Hikari ignored the impact of her body against the cold water. She felt herself be submerged and was swept away. There was nothing a five-year-old could do. Thus, Hikari slept once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Naruto and KHR do not belong to me.

* * *

 _"_ _What a bleeding heart…"_

 _"_ _Leave her…"_

 _"_ _Both… stop… choice…"_

 _There was a brief glimpse of Mukuro, Entaka and Takao talking to each other._

* * *

 _"_ _Nii-san, this is a story of a little boy called Takao…"_

 _"…_ _He was an orphan that slipped through the cracks of the adoption system…"_

 _"…_ _He grew up hungry, having to scavenge for food. Then, one day, his village was attacked…"_

 _"…_ _But the poor little urchin loved his village, for it was the first place that was truly his. So he took up the sword and learned to fight…"_

 _"…_ _He fought hundreds of battles that should have killed him, but didn't…"_

 _"…_ _It took him years, but when he was twenty, he had driven off all the intruders, and started to re-establish his village once more."_

 _How much has changed? We're not even Mukuro anymore._

 _Mukuro would have never become someone like Takao._

 _But Entaka would have, wouldn't she?_

 _…_ _Just let me die in peace. Give me a painless death. I will never truly die, and I won't forget._

* * *

She awoke to someone shaking her.

Blue orbs met each other. One was exhausted, the other was a mix between wary, frightened and curiosity.

"Are you okay?" The younger boy asked.

"I just fell off a cliff, landed into a river with a big current and washed ashore in an unknown land. Of course I'm alright." The blonde girl answered.

"Really?" The other blonde asked, clearly intrigued. The girl groaned. Did this boy not know of sarcasm?

"No. I'm... tired." The girl corrected, her voice softening as she rolled on her side, tensed her muscles and prodded the places that hurt. Miraculously, it appeared like the only serious injuries she had sustained were a bruised rib and a badly sprained ankle, nothing that she couldn't take care of by herself.

"Um..." The other blonde began awkwardly. The girl turned to him, and slowly sat up.

"Thank you for... waking me, I suppose." The girl said just as awkwardly. The two blondes stared at each other.

"Welcome!" The boy grinned cheerfully, seemingly happy for the little thanks that she gave. And just like that it was like the dam had been uncorked.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm five! What's your name? Where did you come from? Why did you fall off a cliff in the first place? Wha-"

She quickly cut him off.

"My name's Hikari. I was… somewhere in Iwa. Do you know where this is?" And damn it, was this the main character?

"This is Konoha!" The blond announced cheerfully, whisker marks accenting his grin. Then he added, "Doesn't Iwa hate Konoha? Why'd you come here in the first place?"

The girl stared at him blankly.

"I lived in the outskirts of Iwa. I'm not part of Iwa. And it's not like I purposely chose to come here in the first place." And it was true. They weren't considered part of Iwa until they attended the ninja Academy there and become genin. Hikari obstinately ignored the fact that she had been adopted by the Tsuchikage four months back.

The blond boy nodded sagely, then tilted his head, apparently thinking. She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her.

"I know! I'll just get you to the Old Man, and he'll help you get back home!"

"Old Man?" "Yeah! Old Man Hokage!" With that, he grabbed her hand and proceeded to drag her towards the Hokage tower, forgetting about her injuries.

"Hey, wait-!" She protested to no avail as she was pulled through the village. Within the village, she noticed the glares sent their way, or more accurately, towards the upbeat boy. She mentally frowned. _Just like Han._

"HEY OLD MAN!" Naruto shouted when they arrived at the Hokage tower, and brought her to the Hokage's office.

Hikari stared at the elderly Hokage.

"Good afternoon Naruto. Who is this?" The Hokage asked.

"This is Hikari! I found her near the river! She was from Iwa! You can get her home, right?" The boy told him enthusiastically. Hikari inched away, covering a ear with her hand. She didn't miss how the Hokage stiffened.

"I'm not from Iwa." She told him exasperatedly, then turned to the Hokage.

"Hikari, now was it? Would you be able to tell me how you got here?" He asked her in a deceptively gentle voice.

"I was playing near the cliffside in the outskirts of Iwa, and then were tremors and I fell off a-a-and..." She purposely trailed off.

"I-I... Nii-san..." She started to sniffle, her lower lip trembled.

"It's alright, we'll find a way to get you home." The Hokage soothed. 'Sucker.' Hikari thought as she struggled to control her breathing.

"No... My brother..." She began to cry, hurriedly wiping away the crocodile tears before they could flow down her cheeks.

"What about your parents?" The old man asked. Hikari inwardly suspected that although he was sympathetic towards her plight, he was still fishing for information. Not bad, she thought, but one of the first rules of an illusionist was deception.

"Dead." She managed to choke out.

Naruto came to her side and patted her in an adorably awkward manner. Hikari hugged him. He looked like a deer caught in spotlights. Hikari pretended not to notice his inner panic.

"Uh… It's ok, I never knew my parents." Naruto attempted to cheer her up. It didn't escape Hikari's notice how the Hokage seemed slightly saddened by his statement. Did he know Naruto's parents personally? _Interesting…_

She hugged him tighter. Naruto just continued to pat her back awkwardly. It took a while for Hikari to calm down.

"Well, Hikari. You should go to the hospital. I'll contact Iwa-"

"No!" Hikari nearly shouted. "They took away my brother! I'm not going back!" She started to sniffle again.

"This can cause a diplomatic incident…" The Hokage muttered.

"Iwa won't care. They wanted me away from Han-nii anyways." Hikari insisted. In a convoluted sense, it was true. Iwa didn't want her associating with a jinchuriki.

The Hokage sighed and resisted the urge to rub his temples. He was getting too old for this job.

"Besides, they probably think I'm dead." Hikari continued in a smaller voice.

"Fine. You can stay." The Hokage paused as Naruto cheered, and smiled faintly. "You'll have to head to the T&I headquarters to register for citizenship. But you will have to find your own place to stay."

"You can stay with me!" Naruto offered. 'Strange, Naruto rarely trusts so easily.' Hiruzen thought.

"…Ok." Hikari agreed cautiously. T&I stood for Torture and Investigation. One last hurdle.

Contrary to what she expected, all she had to do was to fill in some paperwork and have her picture taken. Hikari made sure to act like a child, downplaying the extent of a genius. Yes, they knew she was intelligent, but they had no idea of knowing just how much.

* * *

Hikari stared at the run-down apartment, then turned to Naruto.

"This is where you live?" She asked incredulously. Naruto's smile slipped slightly.

"Yeah." He was strangely muted.

Hikari studied the young boy. He was clearly expecting something negative.

"I have a lot of work to do." She muttered to herself. Naruto just stared at her.

Was it so hard for him to imagine that someone would want to stay with him? Hikari was sorely reminded of Han and Roshi. Speaking of Han, she was sure that the Hokage had assumed that the jinchuriki was her brother. Then again, a part of her did see Han as a brother figure, because while she accepted Deidara as a brother, there was no way he was ever going to be a brother figure for her anytime soon. For goodness' sake, she was mentally over a century old.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, we needa clean up!" Hikari called to Naruto. That seemed to cheer him up at least.

"Hey Naruto?" Hikari nudged him in the side.

"Urgh?" Naruto sleepily mumbled.

"Why don't people like you? I mean I've been here for a day, and they keep glaring at you for no reason."

"Dunno. They always call me 'demon brat' for some reason." Naruto mumbled. Hikari crawled over to his side.

"Do you like it?"

"…No…"

"Did you do something?"

"No…"

"Then they're idiots." Hikari declared.

"…Thanks 'kari." Naruto smiled at her sleepily.

Hikari watched the boy as he fell back into sleep.

Something had happened between them, she was sure of it, but what? She sighed loudly and entered her mindscape.

"Harmonised." Mukuro told her as soon as she entered the familiar garden. He held out a hand brimming with Mist flames.

"We've harmonised with a Sky." He slowly spoke.

"…Is that bad?" Hikari asked.

"No. We've become too set apart. We are the same, but just barely. Had it been Entaka, we might have been torn apart by the longing of the flames of our previous Sky. Takao was the point when we started to deviate, so he might face problems adjusting."

"So we're lucky that this happened now instead of a lifetime ago." Hikari concluded.

"Uzumaki Naruto huh? Well met, well met indeed." She muttered softly.

* * *

The next day had Hikari walking just a bit closer to Naruto, her voice just a bit warmer when talking to him. Naruto noticed, but didn't pay much attention to it. Hikari realised then that Naruto was exceedingly observant, but he just had a tendency to ignore the signs.

Now that she was watching, she noticed just how Naruto was a Sky. He tried his best to accept others, he was warm and cheerful, and he had this presence that just drew others in. Had the villagers not been so goddamned biased, they might have noticed this as well.

Naruto had been unconsciously activating his flames, so when he had come across an active Flame user, he had instinctively bonded to her and was just waiting for her flames to react. Last night, she had started to accept his presence as a 'friend', and had therefore harmonised with him.

She sighed. Flame theory was complicated. Naruto turned to her, confused.

She shook her head.

"Hey, did you know that the Uzumakis specialised in Fuuinjutsu? They were so amazing at it that they were wiped out in fear of being a threat decades ago."

"Eh? So I had family that died?" Naruto furrowed his brows.

"No, that means that you still have family out there. It's impossible for every survivor to be wiped out." Hikari dismissed.

"Really?" Naruto looked at her with hopeful eyes.

"Yup. You should learn Fuuinjutsu. I heard that Uzumakis were naturals." Hikari suggested. Fuuinjutsu was an unknown art in Iwa, and those that even knew a shred were held in high regards. Besides, seals were powerful when used right. They would probably be good for Naruto. Less near-death experiences. Hikari hoped.

"Right!" Naruto nodded enthusiastically. Then, "How did you know?"

"I like to read. My dad loved to collect history books. When I was young, I had nothing better to do, so I started to read all of them." Hikari reminisced.

"Oh."

"Don't worry about it. I just had to grow up a little quicker, that's all."

"Now, what about breakfast?" Hikari quickly changed topics.

"Ramen?" Naruto asked hopefully.

"No. You need variety. Let's have… onigiri?" Hikari frowned as she dug through the kitchen. It was full of instant ramen. She shot Naruto a glare. He pouted and looked away guiltily.

"Excuse me? Ninja-san?" Hikari opened the window and called out. There was a pause.

"Could you please get some rice for us? We'll pay you back. Thank you!" There was no reaction, but Hikari felt the unknown presence linger around, before leaving.

"How long has he been there?" She asked when Naruto didn't seem surprised.

"Since I was kicked out of the orphanage." Naruto shrugged.

"Kicked out…" Hikari's smile grew forced.

"Hikari?" Naruto asked carefully. For some reason, she was reminded of Deidara.

"Nothing." She dismissed. Naruto honestly felt worried when he heard her mutter 'kicked out', 'how dare they', and 'murder is illegal'.

Luckily, the ninja returned and dumped the sack of rice in the room, before dashing off.

"Wait! We haven't given you the money yet…" Hikari trailed off, shaking her head.

"I think he hates being seen." Naruto offered.

Hikari shrugged and scooped out a large amount of rice to steam.

"Now we wait." She announced.

"How long?" Naruto mumbled.

"An hour." Naruto choked.

"But-!"

"I'll teach you how to make explosive tags." Her years spent with her bomb-loving brother had taught her a lot of ways to make bombs.

"Okay!" Then, "But I don't know how to read or write."

Hikari twitched. She was going to find a legal way to murder those supposed 'caretakers'.

* * *

An hour of teaching Naruto how to read quickly passed. Hikari tore apart one of the ramen packets and took out the seasoning. She poured the seasoning out into the rice water, and waited for ten minutes. She then packed the rice together, and placed them on the plates.

"Naruto! Breakfast!" She called. Naruto shot up from the texts and rushed over. He grabbed a rice ball and bit into it.

"It's nice but weird." He admitted. Hikari shrugged. She had made this several times as Mukuro. Probably an acquired taste, now that she thought of it. But she really needed to get some healthy food. Just rice with seasoning was as unhealthy as instant ramen. The only reason she wanted rice was to make Naruto have some variation.

Hikari supposed that learning languages when you were young was easier. Naruto was a quick study, he had officially learnt the entire Japanese language in two weeks. Of course, it helped that he was already speaking Japanese. Now he went from illiterate to only messing up a few sentences here and there. Writing kanji, of course, would be another matter entirely.

* * *

"Bastardo." She cursed at the landlord's back. The electricity was barely running, the plumbing sucked, and the rent was exceedingly high. Five thousand ryo for an apartment like this?

"I'll prank him later." Naruto decided.

"You don't tell the Hokage?"

"Jiji's busy." Ah. They needed another source of income. Naruto only received eight thousand a month, and given that he needed to eat a lot, it was no wonder he had turned to ramen, the cheapest source of food there was.

Hikari frowned, then remembered canon Naruto's luck.

"I'm gonna teach you how to play poker."

Naruto entered a bar and won the pants off all the players without even trying. Hikari shook her head and laughed. What else could she do?

"I really need to find a nearby casino for you." She mused. At least they now had a relatively stable source of income. Hikari glanced at the pile of ryo. Amazing, just amazing.

* * *

Naruto entered the Academy at six. When she took a look at the scrolls, Naruto had to restrain her from going over to the Academy to maul the teacher.

"Throw them away." She ordered her Sky. "They're all useless. I'm going to teach you instead."

She had then asked the Anbu outside to 'get the fuck in here and help teach your goddamned ward'.

He had complied. Her temper tantrum was remembered rather vividly.

 _"_ _I will rip out your eyeballs and shove them down your throat so that you can watch as I tear off your arms and shove them up your ass. Then, I will stick my goddamned hand down your throat and pull them back out." She had all but snarled at the drunken man, releasing a huge amount of killer intent. She was just about to do so, but was stopped by the Anbu._

It was safe to say that Naruto learnt that Hikari was protective of him, and decided to never piss her off, ever.

"I can cover pretty much everything except for jutsu and chakra theory. So we need you to teach those."

"The Academy doesn't teach jutsu until you're eleven." The Anbu pointed out.

"I don't care. Naruto needs practice. He needs to get them perfect. Unless you can absolutely tell me that the teachers won't find a way to fail him in every single way, teach him!"

That was how Naruto learnt how to do Henge and Kawarimi at the age of six. His Bunshin ended up… Hikari mentally added them to her 'zombie' collection.

* * *

It was around then that she relearned how to teleport with her Mist Flames to locations she had been to before. Having harmonised with a Sky had helped. Hikari decided to keep that ace up her sleeve. For now.

* * *

"Hey jiji." Naruto greeted the Hokage as the two children entered his office.

The Hokage greeted them and chewed on his pipe.

"Old Man, am I a jinchuriki-thingy?" Naruto asked him unexpectedly. The Hokage choked on the smoke. The two kids waited for the coughing fit to die down. Hikari smirked inwardly.

"Where did you hear this?" He asked wearily, putting down his pipe.

"'Kari said that Han-nii's a jinchuriki and that people were really mean to him."

"Han-nii's steam is really cool." Hikari added unhelpfully to the rambling. Naruto nodded sagely and continued.

"Then when I asked what a jinchuriki is, she said that they are humans who have demons sealed in them, like a container. Then I told her that I was born the same day the Fourth killed the Kyuubi, but she said that Biju couldn't die, so I thought that maybe everyone hated me 'cos I was the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, and that makes sense 'cos she says that people don't like jinchuriki 'cos they always see the demon, not the human, and then I told her so and she told me to come ask you." Naruto explained.

The Hokage sighed and ran a hand through his wrinkly face.

"Yes, you are the jinchuriki of the Kyuubi. The Fourth-" He was cut off by Hikari.

"-sealed the demon in his own son 'cos there was no other choice?" She asked.

Sarutobi looked at the children in front of him with part-fondness, part-exasperation.

"Not quite. He was always noble, and he couldn't possibly do to others what he hated to do to his own child. He believed that you would be strong, Naruto. I'll hope you'll prove him right. He always wanted you to be seen as a hero. I'm sorry it never turned out that way."

"That's really naïve." Hikari commented, shattering the mood. The Hokage looked at her, somewhat annoyed.

"Might I ask how you found out?"

"Back in my village, sometimes when Iwa ninja came by, when they saw my blond hair and blue eyes, they immediately grew hostile, 'cos the Yondaime had blond hair and blue eyes. Then we looked at the Hokage statue and I told him that he looked a lot like the love child between the Yondaime and a fox. It was a joke, but Naru-kun took it seriously and thought that maybe his father was the Yondaime. And it makes sense 'cos back then, when I asked around, Namikaze Minato was dating Uzumaki Kushina, who was the only Uzumaki around." She concluded. Meaning: She had done a little digging in the Hokage's dreams.

The old man sighed. "What am I to do with you two?" He asked the two grinning children who hi-fived each other, now that their suspicions were proven right.

At least she found out why Naruto had so much chakra. Hikari thought to herself.

"Say, Hokage-sama, is there another variation of the Bunshin Naruto can learn?" Hikari asked. At this point, calling the old man 'Hokage-sama' was merely a courtesy.

"Why would you need to learn the Bunshin?" Hikari fixed him with her blandest stare.

"Did you know that the scrolls are full of crap? I had to throw away Naruto's scrolls and teach him from my memory of my dad's books. How is that not an example? I bet that all of Naruto's tests are rigged. He has to be perfect to even pass!"

Hiruzen suppressed a sigh. He had expected this. But he couldn't do much to help.

"There is the Kage Bunshin. It has a high chakra usage. But I'm afraid that I'm not allowed to teach you." Naruto opened his mouth to protest.

"But if a child saw me using the handsigns, I suppose that I wouldn't be held accountable." Hikari grinned with Naruto.

Naruto learned it in an hour.

* * *

"Tell me, why do you want to exit Konoha?" Hiruzen asked the two children seriously.

"There's nothing the Academy can teach Naruto that I can't. And we won't go out of Fire Country. We just want to explore a bit. We'll be back before winter." Hikari promised.

"And why should I allow two minors?"

"I might not want to be a ninja, but I know how to defend myself. Naruto can do the Academy jutsus. We run the perimeter of Konoha three times a day. We can improvise something if we happen to be in danger. And this is a perfectly good learning experience." Hikari glared at the Hokage, daring him to refute her words.

The Hokage let out the softest of sighs.

"Fine. Be back by winter, or we'll send out trackers."

"If it comes to that, then we're either unable to travel or dead." Hikari called over her shoulder, dragging Naruto out with her.

She just knew the Hokage was reconsidering his opinion.

* * *

Hikari found her passion.

"I think I love travelling." She grinned as she ran with the wind, Naruto close behind her.

"Really? But I like Konoha more."

The differences between his five-year-old self and his six-year-old figure was visible. He was slightly taller, and was starting to lose his baby fat.

"Each to their own, Naru-chan."

"Don't call me 'chan'!" Naruto protested half-heartedly.

* * *

The first place they got to was Wave country, after two days of non-stop travelling.

They appeared at the shore of Wave, and made their way to the town. It was… tranquil.

"Dibs on ramen!" Naruto yelled. Hikari mock-glared at him.

"Fine." She grumbled, and shuffled into a restaurant Naruto had pointed out. Hikari had no real preference for food. Years of living lives of hardship had made sure of that.

"Welcome!" The owner greeted them cheerfully, a far cry from back at Konoha.

"I'll have two pork ramen, two beef ramen, and three miso ramen." Naruto ordered. If the chef was startled at the huge amount of food, he didn't show it.

While waiting, Hikari looked around the small restaurant. It was rather lively. There were construction workers chatting with each other and drinking their beer, families having lunch together and people just sitting together.

Her attention was then diverted to the toddler that had appeared near Naruto's feet.

He was scooped up by his mother.

"Sorry about Inari, he's usually not so active." She apologised.

Inari, huh? How ironic.

"Don't worry about it, tattebayo. I'm Naruto, and this is Hikari!"

"My name is Tsunami. You're not from around here, are you?"

"We're from Konoha."

"Where are your parents, then?" She asked curiously.

"Dead." The both of them chimed.

"Oh! I'm sorry…"

"Nah, don't worry about it, tattebayo!"

"Ah, well, if I could ask, what are you and your sister doing all the way here in Wave?"

Hikari turned to look at Naruto. He did look startlingly like her. They did look like siblings.

"We're just travelling, seeing the sights. I suppose you could say we're here on a sabbatical." Hikari's lips quirked up slightly, not bothering to correct the woman's assumption. "Do you happen to know any inns that we can stay in?"

"Well… I suppose that you could stay in my house, if you won't mind. Wave doesn't have any inns." Tsunami pondered aloud. Hikari wondered if all the people in Wave were so trusting. Then again, they were both six-year-old children, an advantage in itself.

"If it's not a bother, we would be happy to." Hikari told her. Naruto beamed and thanked Tsunami loudly. Hikari shook her head in fond exasperation.

The two children were introduced to Kaiza and Tazuna, Tsunami's husband and father respectively.

"Nah, we don't mind the extra company. 'Sides, not like I could just leave two kids out like that." Tazuna slurred.

"Thank you then!" Naruto cheered. Hikari didn't blame him. There were few people in Konoha who were this nice. From what she heard, almost all of Wave was this friendly.

* * *

Hikari took careful and dainty steps.

"Come on, Naru, dance with me!" She called and dragged her Sky in, humming all the while.

"Never letting go, gotta learn to grow." She laughed as Naruto clumsily spun her around, and did a somersault to keep herself in tune.

"Watch me as I touch the sky." She swayed to the tune, guiding Naruto all the while.

"Still I fly." She spun around once more, this time, taking Naruto with her. He yelled giddily.

"Now I know this is what I gotta do. Find a dream that's new."

"Give it all that I've got this time."

"Still I fly."

Inari laughed and yelled aloud in tune with them. Kaiza and Tsunami were both humouring them, dancing along.

Tazuna just smiled at their display, Inari on his lap as he watched both couples.

Hikari broke apart from Naruto and skipped over to Inari to dance with him. Naruto laughed at her. Hikari scowled at him.

"If you don't mind me asking, lass, where did you get that song from? I might not know much, but I know that it ain't local." Tazuna commented.

"It was composed by someone out of the Elemental Countries." She told him honestly. In reality, all the songs she knew were when Chrome got into a 'music phase' and she had sung them to Mukuro day in and day out. Unfortunately, she couldn't just tell Tazuna that.

"Out of the Elemental Countries, ya say? Now that's something you don't hear every day."

Naruto just stared at her curiously. He then shrugged. Hikari knew that he was waiting for her to tell him more about herself. She knew that he was a good secret keeper, but right now? She couldn't risk it. Not yet.

* * *

Then, a week after, something went wrong. Naruto was looking over the seals of his parents in a beach (so as to not burn down Tsunami's house if something exploded). He had improved drastically, surpassing Hikari's meagre knowledge of Fuuinjutsu. Hikari glanced at the seal. It was a variation of Minato's Hirashin. (With his parents' scrolls on sealing, Naruto's Fuuinjutsu prowess had skyrocketed. Of course, Hikari often needed to whack him on the head to get him to concentrate.) Then, something happened. Hikari wasn't sure what had exactly happened. All she felt was a spike of… youki. It was youki. After that spike, the seal _glowed_ (whatthehell? When a seal glows that means something went wrong and that shit was going to hit the fan) and the both of them were transported to an unknown location.

Hikari blinked as she glanced around the room. Her eyes landed on a child with grey hair and pink eyes.

"Naruto, I'm going to kill you." Hikari hissed, her eyes still on the child.

"Uh…" He mumbled ever-so-eloquently.

"What are the two of you doing in my office?" The child asked in a deceptively cheerful voice.

 _Oh crap!_ Hikari's eyes widened.

She shot forward faster than was deemed possible and snatched the staff leaning against the wall. She then turned around in mid-air and proceeded to bash the back of his head repeatedly, using her Flames to distract him. Wasn't she lucky that people always underestimated kids? Hikari thought sardonically.

"Naruto!" She hissed.

"Uh, I got it! The seal tapped into the furball's chakra and directed us to the nearest person with the same type of chakra as mine."

"Argh! Get outta here!" She grabbed Naruto's shirt and teleported them out of the danger zone. She didn't count on the staff she was holding onto to hook onto Yagura and drag him along in the ride.

"Fuck." Hikari summarised breathlessly. Two people was hard on her, three was even worse.

"Who is he?" Naruto pointed at the extra baggage.

"He's Yagura, the Yondaime Mizukage. And old enough to be your father." Hikari added, foreseeing Naruto's question.

"But why would he have demonic chakra?" Naruto scratched his head.

"He's the container of the Sanbi. The seal probably tapped into Kyuubi's chakra. Given that we were close to Kiri, Yagura was probably the nearest jinchuriki." Hikari informed.

"Cool, you beat a Kage." Naruto grinned.

"I didn't. He just didn't expect me to bash his head in in all that Killing Intent." Hikari admitted. She wasn't in any state to single-handedly take on any Kages just yet. Perhaps when she was older, but not when she was in a five-year-old body. She poked Yagura. Yep, he was out of it. Come to think of it, her victory was _lame_. She got that he obviously never expected her to be so fast, but for a Kage to be defeated by a six-year-old kid? Seriously?

"This is lame." Hikari sulked. Naruto just patted her back, laughing all the while. Hikari turned to the jinchuriki and conjured up some ropes to bind him together. She got the feeling that she was missing something. She briefly entered her mindscape.

"Yagura was being controlled by an… Uchiha." Mukuro told her bemusedly. Great, even he thought her victory was lame as hell.

She exited her mindscape and glanced around the place they were in. They weren't in Wave anymore. Hikari frowned. She had teleported them to the first place she had thought of. Naruto seemed to realise his change in surroundings as well.

"You can teleport?"

"Yep. Takes a lot outta me though." Hikari collapsed onto the grass, knowing that Naruto would keep her secret. If or when the mind-controller came, she would teleport them again. But now… Hikari watched as Naruto continued to mess with the seal. _Naruto had better not mess up the seal again, or Sky or not, I will disembowel him._

Yagura woke up in a few minutes. _As befitting of a Kage_. Hikari thought.

"What- I was beaten by a kid?" He seemed stunned. Hikari took the moment to shock his body by transferring her chakra to him _forcefully_ , disrupting the mind-control. She smiled as she felt something in his energy snap.

"You out now?" She asked, rapping his head gently.

"I-I… Thank you for freeing me." He blinked rapidly, like he was clearing his mind from the haze. Hikari didn't blame him. He had been under mind-control for around five years now.

"And uh…" He glanced down at the ropes. Naruto stared at the both of them.

There was an awkward pause.

* * *

"So… you were under the control of a man in a swirly mask who called himself Uchiha Madara. He controlled the Sanbi, so when it was sealed in you, you were mind-controlled too? That sucks." Naruto summarised, then turned to her.

"But hey, you still beat a Kage!" Hikari sighed, and pretended not to notice Yagura's twitch.

"It was purely underestimation and surprise on the Uchiha's part." He gritted out. Hikari felt for him. It was embarrassing for an adult to be beaten by a child. Even if said adult was a baby-faced one and was controlled by someone else.

"She still beat you." Naruto shrugged. Hikari politely ignored it when Yagura snarled at Naruto. Naruto was barely tolerable on a good day, and infuriating on a bad day. Even though he had been freed, he had still been defeated by a child, so Hikari supposed that it was a bad day.

"If we had met under different circumstances, I would have defeated the both of you!"

"We're near my village!" Hikari interrupted. Now she remembered why the field was so familiar. She often came here for peace and quiet.

"Eh? We're in Iwa?"

"You teleported from Kiri to Iwa? Is that a kekkai genkai?" Yagura asked. If he found it curious that she was from Iwa, he didn't ask.

"Something like that. Two people was enough. You were actually a deadweight." Hikari informed him.

"Thank you. I'll remember that the next time I meet you." Yagura returned.

"Mm, just keep it quiet please." Hikari beamed.

"It's the least I could do." He agreed easily.

"We'll be heading to Wave. There's no way I'm going to Kiri again." She informed Yagura. He gave her a small nod. She grabbed the both of them and teleported in a mist of flames.

They landed in the clearing where Naruto was testing his seal. Naruto grinned and ran up to his abandoned scrolls.

"You should fabricate a story. Don't want people knowing that you've been beaten by a six-year-old after all."

"Just leave us outta it. We told Hokage-jiji that we wouldn't go outta Fire Country." Naruto snickered. Hikari smirked.

Yagura just waved a hand and left, gripping his trademark staff.

"I can't believe that just happened." Hikari exclaimed. "Naruto, you're a real troublemaker."

But she had found her fourth jinchuriki at least. Five more to go.

They ended up leaving the next day, waving goodbye to Tsunami and her family.

* * *

Next stop: The Fire Country's Capital.

* * *

* **Omake 1** *

Hikari gingerly touched the wooden instrument. Takao used to play the guitar. Entaka loved the piano. Mukuro preferred the violin, but he never told a soul. It seemed that Hikari liked the flute.

"I'll take it." She told the vendor distractedly, forking out the correct amount of ryo.

Hikari experimentally played a few notes. It seemed she still had the musical affinity within her.

She walked into the forests where she could practice uninterrupted.

Hikari was sorely reminded of a scene out of a fairy tale.

As if on cue, a hunched figure appeared. Hikari blinked rapidly and pinched herself.

"Would you like an apple?" The figure rasped. Hikari mentally shrugged. Whatever.

She accepted the apple with a thanks and took a bite out of it. There wasn't any taste of poison. Or maybe it was just tasteless. Eh, Mukuro had figured out how to cleanse poison years ago. It turned out that tricking the cells into ignoring the poison helped. The poison would go to the heart, and while the white blood cells attacked it, as long as her Flames were intact and focused on the heart ignoring the poison, she would be fine. Then it would be a matter of time for the potency of the poison to wear down until it was so weak that it would barely affect her.

Nothing happened. Hikari stared at the robed figure that stared back at her.

"Was something supposed to happen?" She asked, feeling like the person in front of her was a wicked witch or something along those lines.

"No, no, not at all." The old man (or was it woman?), was quick to comfort.

"Right." Hikari nodded along, unconvinced. Was she supposed to do something? Hikari decided to channel Entaka.

"Do you need any help… sir?" She asked politely.

"No, no, that's not necessary." The old man refused. Hikari had a feeling that she was supposed to do something. She shrugged and played her flute.

Hikari woke up.

"That was a weird dream." She muttered, clambering off her bed. She didn't see the wooden flute laying innocently under her pillow.

* * *

* **Omake 2** *

Hikari sent glances at the redheaded puppeteer. It wasn't her fault her hormones decided that she should have a crush on him. Hikari knew for one that Sasori was asexual. And of course, there was the fact that he was old enough to be her grandfather despite looking like a teenager.

Hikari hid a smile. If Deidara knew that she had a crush on his partner, he would most likely try to blow his partner up.

Sasori seemed to notice her attentions. He looked up from his wood crafting and gave her a blank glance.

"I am not interested." He monotoned.

"I know." Hikari replied, still staring at him.

"Stop staring at me."

"Aww… Are you uncomfortable?" Hikari teased, knowing that the answer was negative.

"No."

"I'm just bored." Hikari whined like the child she was.

"Go bother Deidara. Before I hurt you." He hissed.

"You'll just miss." Hikari told him and had to dodge the fireball thrusted at her.

"How do you even stop the fire from burning the wood?" Hikari asked.

"I'm going! I'm going! Sheesh." Hikari muttered and scampered out of the room, senbon striking into the spot where she was.

.

"Why the fuck are you bothering me?"

"I'm bored."

"… Wanna have a drinking contest?" Hikari stared at the bottle of alcohol thrusted at her.

"Eh, why not?" She opened the bottle and chugged down the drink. The last time she drank had been as Mukuro.

Their drinking contest came to an end when they finished all the alcohol in the base.

"Fuck. We were on a roll too." Hidan cursed.

"Yup." Hikari agreed. And she was only mildly intoxicated.

She was chased out when Hidan declared that he needed to pray to his god.

.

"Get out."

"I'm bored."

"You're wasting my time. Time is money."

"But…" Hikari had to retreat when the black threads came at her.

.

"Hey Tobi."

"Hey!" The orange masked man replied cheerfully.

"I'm bored."

"Tobi's bored too!"

"Wanna play a game?"

"Ooh? What game?"

"Treasure hunt."

"Okay! What are the treasures?"

Hikari grinned.

.

 _Later…_

"Where the fuck did my prayer beads go?"

"My puppet is missing."

"Whoever stole my money had better prepare to die."

"Sameheda's bandages are gone!"

"Who the hell took my clay?"

"… My pockey…"

Hikari and Tobi laughed silently.

"Ah crap." She winced as six accusing eyes turned on them. Hikari clung onto Tobi as he teleported out of the base, still laughing.

* * *

* **Omake 3** *

"London Bridge is falling down. Falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down. My fair lady." Hikari sang continuously.

"Ne, Hikari-chan?" Tobi asked.

"Yes?"

"What are you singing?"

Hikari smirked.

"The song is called London Bridge. It's actually a children's rhyme in a place called England. Its origins are… hazy at best. Do you want to hear it?" Tobi nodded vigorously. Hikari just knew that she had attracted the attentions of the remaining Akatsuki members.

"A long, long time ago, the world was divided into seven continents. In a continent called Europe, there was a country called England. Now, the people needed a bridge, so they built one. However, the bridge kept collapsing. Because of that, the people thought that maybe using sticks and stone weren't enough, so they used iron. But iron bent, so they added silver. However, the silver was stolen. The people were at a loss. Whatever they did, the bridge just wouldn't stand. So one fine day, they decided that perhaps the gods were against them." Hikari ignored Hidan's snort.

"So they used a child. The child was mixed into the cement _alive_ , and that cement was used to build the bridge. As it stood, the people decided that perhaps sacrifices were missing, so they gathered whatever urchins there were and used them to build the bridge. The bridge was completed, and the faces of the people still protrude out of the walls if you look carefully enough." Hikari finished.

"…That's morbid, un. They suffocated children to build a single bridge?" Deidara broke the silence.

"But the rhyme was so cheerful…" Tobi muttered.

"Was the story real?" Sasori asked.

"Yes. Yes it was. It happened millennia ago." Hikari answered truthfully.

"They did that and made a rhyme out of it?" Kisame said, looking vaguely pale. Hikari didn't get why they were upset. This happened all the time, right?

When she voiced this, they looked at her, surprised.

"What kind of childhood did you have?" Konan asked softly.

"Nothing like that ever happened." Deidara answered, his eyed narrowed.

"It wasn't my childhood. More of… before that." Hikari smiled thoughtfully.

"Imagine light. Then darkness, false hope. Betrayal by kin, and bloodshed." Hikari muttered to herself, that small smile still lingering on her lips. Mukuro had enjoyed every second of his kills. A demon, a monster. He had gone through five hells. Nothing much could compare to that.

Hikari glanced at Pein. Her Flames pulsed as her eyes met his. How very interesting. Hikari had an idea when she had found out that this universe was in the same 'sea' as Mukuro's.

The 'Six' in the Sage of Six paths was too coincidental after all. Perhaps some sort of anomaly along the way…

There was a theory.

There had been a Chinese tale, where a woman had eaten the fruit of a God, and became a Moon Goddess.

What if, the world was in tatters? What if someone had created a fruit like the one in the tale? What if someone ate it? What if the goddess just so happened to imbue 'chakra' into the Sage? Then everything would start once again from there, the world thrust into the olden eras.

Then that meant that whoever had written this story had 'predicted' the future, except that the future was so far away. Had those historical places fallen to time? Probably. Hikari wondered if there was a clan that held records of those histories.

It was a pity. They were brilliant.

* * *

A/N: So... yep. I'm actually stuck on what path Hikari should take next. Should she stay with Naruto, leave by herself or find her brother?

On a side note, yes, I'm fine with anyone using my explanations.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Mukuro.

* * *

Perhaps she had been tempting fate. Hikari admitted ruefully.

Naruto's poor attempt at copying the Hirashin seal _again_ , had sent the duo careening to a rocky area. Hikari twitched slightly as Naruto decided to explore the cave that was conveniently present.

Naruto was a six-year-old child, Hikari reminded herself, a six-year-old child that had a mediocre understanding of seals and an ocean of curiosity.

Then again, it was probably his 'main character syndrome'.

Hikari closed her eyes and breathed deeply. When she opened her eyes, a bland smile plastered on her face, Naruto was nowhere to be seen. Hikari cursed and ran in after him. Caves were mysterious. Mysterious meant dangerous. Dangerous meant fatal. And damn it Naruto!

Hikari stared into the abyss, and tried not to hyperventilate. If she had a heart-attack, she was going to reform as a ghost and make Naruto _suffer_. She gritted her teeth and took her first step into the labyrinth.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

"Hey, hey! Are you alive?" Naruto prodded the human-shaped figure. It was too dark for him to see clearly, but the thingamajig should be human… right? He gulped as he heard thudding. Maybe it wasn't a good idea for him to be separated from Hikari. Hikari could teleport. He realised. And without Hikari, that meant that he couldn't get out of here! He crouched next to the figure and tried not to whimper as his fear grew. He pressed closer to the figure. Then the figure shifted. Naruto screamed as a bony hand grabbed his wrist.

* * *

Hikari glanced at her surroundings. She was completely lost. Her chakra was already draining from her use of Katon, even though it was a relatively small flame.

Hikari paused as she heard the echo of a scream. She pushed down the surge of irritation and walked towards the source of the sound. Meeting with a wall, Hikari grinned sharply and punched it down, ignoring the possibility of a cave-in. The wall collapsed with a loud rumble. Hikari licked the blood that flowed down the gashes on her knuckles and continued forward.

It took three more crumbling walls before she reached Naruto.

"Naruto?" Hikari asked softly, walking up to Naruto, who was choking back sobs. The small flame lit up their surroundings. Hikari's gaze narrowed down onto the figure next to Naruto. His hair was white and his skin was pale.

Ah, she realised, that's what happened.

She enveloped Naruto in a hug.

"Shh, it's alright. There's nothing to be scared of." She comforted her Sky.

"Are you alright?" She asked the albino who sorely reminded her of Byakuran.

"Fine." He rasped, bursting into a coughing fit. Hikari wordlessly offered him water.

"See? Don't worry Naruto, he's human." She assured. "I think."

Naruto just buried his head into her shoulder. The small flame was bright enough for her to see the tear tracks on his face. Hikari pretended that he wasn't crying.

The boy gratefully sipped on the water.

"So, let me guess. You wandered in too deep and got stuck." Hikari commented, watching as the flame flickered. Chakra exhaustion wouldn't kill her, just put her out of commission. After all, she had been relying on her Flames ever since Day 1. She wasn't dependent on her chakra; she was dependent on her Flames.

She released the flame and they were plunged into darkness once more. Naruto shrieked. Hikari patted his shaking back.

"Do you have a name?" She asked the albino.

"…Kimimaro." The boy replied hesitantly, as if giving out his name meant that it would be taken away. Hikari understood. Names were personal, as much as they were dangerous. Hikari doubted that the people of now could use names to inflict curses on each other, but at least this tradition still lived on.

"My name is Hikari, and the scaredy-cat is Naruto."

"'M not a scaredy-cat." Naruto mumbled.

Hikari frowned at the boy, barely discernible in the darkness. There was something about him, but she couldn't quite recall it. Wasn't he an antagonist of some sort? Hikari mentally sighed. Did it still matter? She had messed up the story by quite a lot. The only thing she could do now was to let loose and enjoy her life now.

"Hold on tight." She told the albino, and teleported them out of the cave with a barrage of Mist Flames.

The flare that met their eyes was hard on them, especially for Kimimaro, and to a lesser extent, Naruto (he had been used to hiding out in dark places in the middle of the day because no one ever wanted to see him). Hikari was admittedly used to it. Being thrust suddenly into the light after days that might as well have stretched to years in the abyss wasn't exactly new.

Hikari sat down with a soft 'thump'. Kimimaro collapsed, still exhausted from being trapped in the cave for days. Naruto fell down into a crumpled head, muttering an 'ow'.

"What now?" Naruto asked.

Hikari smiled rather disturbingly.

* * *

"…and you are not allowed to experiment with seals far above your level!" She finished with a low snarl, automatically giving Kimimaro another water bottle which he finished faster than the previous one.

Naruto hung his head and pouted, eyes glazing ever-so-slightly at the thought of having to start small.

Hikari noticed and shook her head. Honestly, Naruto needed to grow up. Sure, he would probably grow up to be this easy-going, charismatic leader that everyone holds some sort of fond exasperation/ annoyance for, but at this rate… Hikari suspected that _she_ would probably die first before that happened.

* * *

Somehow, Kimimaro felt indebted to them and joined them on their adventures.

'Joy. A new party member joined.' Hikari thought to herself sardonically. Then, the schematics set in.

Kimimaro was a Kaguya. Konoha was the one to destroy his clan. If Kimimaro was found, he would be forced to join the ninja ranks. And that was fine. Kimimaro liked fighting anyway. But then he would be forced to reproduce to resurrect the dying clan, or even worse, if the civilian council intervened, he would be kept in captivity, or executed. So that meant that he couldn't enter Konoha. So she would need to find a place close enough to Konoha for him to stay, if he would (and he probably would. Naruto had already drawn him in). Wave would probably agree to house him, if he became a sort-of de-facto protector for them. And given Konoha's nice-guy reputation, they would be unable to do anything about him so long as Kimimaro remained in Wave, driving off those petty bandits. Setting him up in Wave would be no problem, but establishing his reputation as a protector would be harder; he was an eight-year-old boy after all. And damnit, why was she even cooking up all these contingency plans for someone she just met?

Hikari suppressed a groan. She really was getting soft.

Part of her suspected that it was all Naruto's fault. (And stupid girl, of course it was. Skies were dangerous after all. Just look at what happened to Mukuro.)

* * *

The three of them ended up hitching a ride on a merchant's cart, in exchange for some menial chores.

"Naruto, remember not to mess with your seals in crowded areas. I don't want to be sent to another continent... again." Hikari lectured Naruto, who had just pulled out some sealing paper. Naruto pouted, but stored them away. Hikari wondered why she was letting Naruto get his way even though she had just ripped him off. Perhaps it was the niggling suspicion that Naruto would sneak his seals past her and experiment with them without her, which was scarier, given the fact that they had ended up in possible life-and-death situations for both times the seals had malfunctioned.

If nothing else, he would be more careful at least.

Kimimaro kept silent and just meditated. Hikari was both annoyed and pleased for his silence.

It was a while before the cart stopped. The three children looked into the distance and saw the huge city, with tall buildings that loomed over the smaller shops and houses.

"Wow…" Naruto breathed.

"It is… large." Kimimaro muttered, unsure of what to say. Hikari had marked him off as awkward and antisocial after the first day. And she didn't fault him; it wasn't his fault his family was full of blood-thirsty maniacs that locked him away. But part of her questioned Kimimaro's intelligence for wandering into a cave and getting stuck there.

"That's a lot of people." Hikari nodded along. A hidden village was very different from a capital. A hidden village focused on military, while a capital focused mostly on trade. Because of that, they were designed differently. In a hidden village, the houses of shinobi were usually located near the exterior, with the Kage's office, the hospital and the orphanages located around the centre.

"Thanks for the ride!" Naruto yelled to the merchant as the three of them jumped off the moving cart and ran towards the direction of the huge city.

Hikari ended up having to drag Naruto, who was busy exploring the capital, into an inn to spend the night. She glared daggers at Kimimaro who just smirked.

* * *

 _"_ _Nii-san?"_

 _"_ _Yeah? Did you need something?" Deidara glanced over to where his little sister was._

 _"_ _I want…"_

 _What did she need again?_

 _"…_ _I am no one's servant."_

 _Everything's messed up. What's going on? This was meant to be a simple dream!_

 _"_ _I will rise above the ashes, just like the phoenix! You'll never take me!"_

 _What's happening to her?_

 _"_ _Kufufufu… The world will burn."_

 _What… What's happening? What was this?_

 _She was losing herself, wasn't she?_

 _Why was this happening now?_

 _Mukuro was stabbed in the heart._

 _Entaka was shot down._

 _Takao collapsed from exhaustion._

 _Hikari… she would be pierced by the attack of an immortal._

* * *

"Wake up!" Naruto shook her awake. Hikari stared at his whiskered face. She swallowed and found her throat hoarse from screaming.

"I saw my death." Hikari found herself speaking, looking into the worried blue eyes of her Sky.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"…No." She was going to live in denial for a while longer, just like she always had.

Naruto nodded.

"I'll always be here if you need me." He offered seriously, and in that instant, Hikari knew why she had dedicated her life to this sunshine.

She let a small smile cross her face. Kimimaro watched silently at a corner.

There were occasions when Hikari noticed Naruto's mask. Naruto was naturally optimistic, but no one could always be that cheerful. Hikari found herself occasionally admiring Naruto for being able to fool everyone, and almost fooling her. But it was dangerous. Hikari, once she had Harmonised, had felt the agitation of his Flames. It was dangerous, Hikari conceded, as Naruto was abused. Skies were rare, and Naruto had been haphazardly spewing out his Flames, unseen to everyone except for the practitioners. Given that she was possibly the only Flame user in this world, Hikari could have seen his Flames clearly had she concentrated. Because of this, it was dangerous. Naruto had been overtaxing his body, forcing his Flames outwards for anyone whom he could reach, due to his isolation from society.

It was lucky that Hikari had been there. Hikari forced his Flames back into his body by just _being there_. In a way, Naruto had been living off his Flames. He had been forcing himself to smile at everyone, trying to reach out to them, even though he knew that his love wouldn't be returned.

It was tragic. Her Sky had been breaking in front of everyone, and they had no idea. Those who claimed to know him had no idea how broken he was. Perhaps it was true: it took a broken person to recognise another.

* * *

True to 'main character syndrome', Naruto got them into another incident in the span of three days.

It all started when Naruto decided to explore the city _without her_. He had bumped into a missing-nin. Being as young as he was, Naruto had absolutely no idea what a slash across the hitai-ate meant, and had followed the half-bemused half-annoyed man around, begging the missing-nin to teach him some 'super cool awesome jutsus'.

Hikari had been smiling sweetly when she put Naruto in a genjutsu for making her worry. He had rushed to the nearest restaurant and ordered fifteen bowls of ramen to ensure that 'ramen wasn't extinct'.

The missing-nin had been amused at the resulting bill. But that amusement was quickly wiped out when Kimimaro 'innocently' passed him the bill.

Not all missing-nin were brutal. But if they were, Mukuro would have likely beat them all hands-down. Hikari spent her childhood watching people. Mukuro was a master at manipulating minds. This man was safe, she told herself as she watched Naruto try to convince (*cough*con*cough*) the man to pay for his food.

Little known fact about missing-nin: Missing-nin are actually a tight community. They pass on information to each other. The barest of information, yes, but information all the same.

Kimimaro had watched, amazed as Hikari had weaselled information out of the unsuspecting man.

"Oh? So you've been to Kumo lately? What's it like there?"

"It's all mountains an' rocks kid. If you want to go there, better pack some winter clothing."

"Oh. But was it pretty?"

"Eh, it was interesting."

"Why? Did you meet someone?"

"The people there are eccentric, yeah." The man agreed.

"Tell us?"

"There was this one guy that rapped every sentence he spoke." Ah, that must be Killer B, Hikari nodded to herself.

"…Was he any good?"

"…I'm not going to answer that, kid."

"I used to live in Iwa, ya know. Then I moved to Konoha." Hikari told the man, silently baiting him.

"Really? Why'd you move?"

"My parents died."

"Ah. Um. Well… Did you know that the Tsuchikage took on someone as an apprentice? I think his name was Deidana or something like that." Bingo. Hikari inwardly smiled, he eyes drifting down to her bowl of ramen to stop the man from seeing her interest.

"Deidara? I've spoken to him a few times before I left. He was kinda nice." Hikari told the man, omitting the fact that Deidara was in fact her brother.

"He's a genius, kid. Geniuses are everywhere now. There's one in your village, now that I think of it. A Uchiha."

"Uchiha's are cocky bastards." Naruto told the man through a mouthful of noodles.

"And geniuses are cocky bastards too, brat." The man laughed.

Kimimaro looked at Hikari. She turned to stare at him.

 _We need to leave_. His gaze told her, his eyes shifting from the man to the door. Hikari nodded. She trusted his danger sense at least.

"Naruto! Hurry up! I wanna see the middle of the capital!" Hikari sang cheerfully. Naruto paused, then shoved all the ramen into his mouth. Hikari watched him with a sick sort of fasincation.

The man put down his chopsticks. "I think I've lost my appetite." He muttered, looking slightly green. Kimimaro did the same.

"Thanks for paying!" Hikari told the man as Kimimaro helped her to usher a rather confused Naruto out of the ramen shop.

* * *

It was a moment later that _her_ danger senses started ringing.

Hikari's eyes narrowed slightly as they rushed back to the inn. Something was wrong, and Naruto had better not get involved in it (although part of her had already given up and accepted the fact that Naruto got into whatever trouble that so much as crossed his path.)

Sure enough, a large fire started. Hikari glanced at the inferno and wondered why no one had used water jutsus to put it out yet. It didn't seem like a chemical fire, nor were there any shortage of ninjas in the capital.

Something just didn't add up. No one would be stupid enough to attack the capital in peaceful times.

"What's Hikari doing?" Kimimaro asked quietly.

"Dunno." Naruto whispered back. Hikari continued to stare out of the window. No, wait… The citizens were walking past the burning building like nothing was happening. There was probably some sort of genjutsu cast on the building. Of course, genjutsu would never work on her, not with the amount of mastery she held over Illusions. This meant that something was happening. And that they had better leave before the capital locked down.

"We need to leave. Someone's stealing something important. The capital will be on a lockdown, and Kimimaro doesn't have any sort of record."

"But if something's being stolen-" Naruto started to protest.

"Naruto." Naruto fell silent.

"Do you not understand what I said? We need to leave."

"But if something's being stolen, then we should do something about it! We can't just watch!" Naruto disagreed loudly.

"Naruto! This isn't about your morals, or trying to prove yourself as a hero! This is about Kimimaro! Kimimaro's clan was destroyed. If they did a lockdown and searched everyone, they will find out about Kimimaro's existence. Then Konoha will probably send someone to kill him!" She told him seriously.

"But that's not fair! Kimimaro never did anything to Konoha!" Naruto yelled.

"Life isn't fair, Naruto. We need to leave. Now." Her tone left no room for arguments.

Naruto did as told and began packing, a sour look on his face. Kimimaro was silent as always, but there was something like gratitude in his eyes.

Naruto had no idea of the darker aspects of human nature. Or maybe he did, but just chose to ignore it like everything else. And that worried her more than anything. He was an annoying brat, yes, but if he didn't know just how bloody the ninja world was, he wouldn't survive.

* * *

A/N:

I think that I'm going to start elaborating more. Hikari knows how to fight, but she doesn't know how to fight like a ninja. Her stats would be something like this:

Ninjutsu: 0, Taijutsu: 3, Genjutsu: 5, Intelligence: 5, Strength: 2.5, Speed: 4, Stamina: 4

Hikari mainly depends on her (solid) illusions and knowledge of the human body. Her attack style is basically ambushing her opponent, then finishing it as fast as possible. In a drawn-out fight without her Flames, Hikari would lose.

Also because of this, Hikari can't teach Naruto anything besides the most basic Taijutsu stances. She ignores the fact that handsigns are needed for Genjutsu (because she's already an illusionist that's well versed in the art of creating images that aren't there, not to mention that she's so far beyond _mere_ Genjutsu), and she doesn't know a single thing about Ninjutsu (except for the Kawarimi and her mother's technique, which only adds up to two jutsus in her book.)

Just as a heads-up, I'm going to try an interlude next chapter.


	6. Interlude-1

Disclaimer: Well, it's **F** **an** fiction, enough said. Still... I don't own Naruto or Mukuro.

* * *

 **-Naruto Interlude-**

Naruto had always been in tune with his instincts. They were the only thing that had kept him alive when no one else had wanted to. He knew he wasn't the smartest, but he was still one of the best!

…

Or maybe not, he thought to himself as he was chased out of another store once again. Naruto stared back at the Hokage tower forlornly and trudged up to the river bank where he usually fished.

He never expected to find a girl that looked so much like him.

'I won't be alone anymore!' That was his first thought. A small part of him felt bad; he was being selfish, but he was tired of being so alone.

The girl's name turned out to be Hikari, and she lived far far away and didn't want to go back. Naruto felt glad for that. She wouldn't have to leave him! He clung tightly to her and he didn't want to let go. She didn't reject him, but she grew closer.

Naruto knew that he was in no way the best, but he wanted to be. He had no clan, no family, no friends and very few belongings to call his own. Hikari was his first friend, even though she spoke like an adult sometimes. He knew that he was selfish, but he never wanted to let her go.

Hikari was nice. She taught him how to read, write and cook. She taught him history and made it a story. She even got that AnBu guy to teach him cool jutsus! She gave him his clan back, and taught him its arts. He had been happy, especially when she slept in the same bed with him, and when he had woken up still clinging to her.

But still, he was waiting for her to leave, for her to get tired of all the stares and whispers and to say goodbye. Or maybe she would leave without a trace, without a word, just like his parents had, just like everyone had. After all, no one wanted to be with him.

 _Naruto never told Hikari of these thoughts, nor did he want to. He never knew that Hikari had him figured out after the first week._

 _'_ _ **Foolish boy**_ _,' she had thought, '_ _ **you are my Sky. Where else would I be, if not by your side?**_ _'_

 _She never told Naruto. Naruto never knew._

 _Because this was no longer her secret to tell._

Naruto held Hikari's hand in his and marvelled at her warmth. His instincts told him that she was a cold person by nature, so he didn't react when she snapped at him, worried for him. ( _For him! Could you imagine that?_ )

Naruto rarely smiled for real, as did Hikari. But with each other, they were fine. Like always, just fine.

Naruto read up on whatever Fuinjutsu he could get his hands on. He wanted to connect to his clan on a more personal level, and he didn't want to disappoint Hikari either. Maybe if he didn't, she would stay with him a little longer.

He would trust Hikari with his secrets and his life. But he knew that she would never do the same. She had too many secrets stored within her. (Ones left untold, his mind supplied.) And if she had never told her brother, then it made sense that she wouldn't tell him. (But then why did he feel like his heart was stinging?)

But she hadn't left, not for a year.

Then, she had told him that she was going on an adventure. When he tried to bid her goodbye, not showing her his disappointment, she had raised an eyebrow and told him that he was going with her. He couldn't quite hide his elation. But he didn't need to. Even if he had, Hikari would know. She was weird like that.

They walked all the way to Wave, Hikari telling him to be faster. He had the feeling that someone had been following them, was that why she was so worried? He didn't want to disappoint her, so he pushed himself to the limits, and kept up with her, even though his legs felt like dropping off.

He met a nice family, and he was happy when they let the two of them stay at their house. It was nice, Naruto reflected, he wanted a family like that someday. The fact that the villagers of Konoha hated him slipped his mind. He wanted to live in a happy and peaceful place like this. He would make Konoha into a place so happy and cheerful one day.

He no longer desired attention, not when Hikari was there with him. Hikari often told him that not getting any attention from the villagers was fine, there were people who noticed him if he looked closely enough. He could slip through the cracks and spend time with all the others who weren't acknowledged by the rest of the population. Because of that, he stopped making a nuisance of himself. No matter what he did, he would always be shunned by the villagers. No matter what he did, he would always be the scapegoat, always the one at fault. But no matter what he did, there would always be people like him who were scorned at by the general citizens of Konoha.

These people were the lowlives, they worked with each other, warned each other when danger was coming, without a single word given out to those on the surface. Why bother with someone who refused you when there were much more important people in the underworld?

It was at Wave when he messed up with one of his seals and sent both Hikari and him to an unknown place. It was a small room, with a man that looked just ten years older than the both of them. Then Hikari had called him the Yondaime Mizukage, and had proceeded to beat him easily. A part of him started to shatter. Hikari was strong and smart. Why would she want to be friends with someone like him?

He felt slightly better when she had told him that she had just wanted to protect him, to protect the both of them.

Protecting your precious people. That sounded right. Naruto had smiled cheerily. Hikari never said a word about his fake smiles.

He had another mishap with a seal, and Naruto had stupidly entered the cave. He never expected it to be so dark. He got lost in a matter of seconds. He was scared, even more so when something grabbed his hand. Hikari had immediately jumped to his rescue. He felt warm inside.

He met Kimimaro and he felt bitter, like he had drank sour milk again, when he saw Hikari and Kimimaro talking to each other. He quickly forced that feeling down. Hikari was his friend. Kimimaro was too. His friends could be friends with each other, right? He couldn't quite ignore the feeling of panic grabbing his heart.

Naruto wasn't a complete idiot. He wasn't as selfless as people had thought either. Naruto would give up everything for his precious people. He was selfish that way. He noticed that Hikari was put into a bad mood whenever he mentioned Sakura-chan, so he stopped. In time, he forgot about that pink-haired girl that he used to adore.

 _Naruto would never realise what bullet he had skipped then. Hikari wouldn't leave him with someone who would punch him whenever he said something that the other wouldn't accept, no matter how competent she would become later on. The future would be left for later. Right now, she was weak, and until that girl grew up and forced herself to get stronger, Hikari would not allow her to stand with them._

 _As for the Uchiha? He was a horrible friend, and that was just that. Hikari hated the Uchiha and their arrogance. It wasn't arrogance unless you had the power to back it up, and most of the Uchiha couldn't even dream of beating her._

In the Fire Country Capital, he had wanted to act on that little bit of him that starved for attention. He never expected that just helping people could get Kimimaro killed. He hadn't realised just how cruel this world could be. This wasn't his first exposure to the real world, but this was the first time that he couldn't stubbornly bull through it. He didn't like it at all.

He wondered if this was what Hikari had to face almost every day. He had felt sick when he had to leave something like that be. But he had never realised the difference between Hikari and him until that day. Hikari, despite her namesake, lay in the darkness, while Naruto was the maelstrom that would sweep through the surface world.

 _He would bring in a new era of light. Even if it was just for a short moment._

 **-End Interlude-**

* * *

 **-Deidara Interlude-**

He never managed to see her being swept away; he was too afraid to. The last he saw from her was her smile as she cried tears of farewell.

Deidara had never been an idiot no matter how hot-headed he was. He wasn't a prodigy for nothing.

He knew that his little sister was far older than she let on. He knew that most of her emotions were dulled. But at that moment, he also knew that she hadn't been acting.

Sometimes he cursed himself for being so stupid as to sit at the far edge of the cliff. Other times, he wondered just where the earthquake had come from.

Deidara wasn't stupid. He had his suspicions. Hikari was close to Han, a jinchuriki. He had offered Deidara his silent condolences before leaving. Hikari had always been a free-spirit, no one could ever hold her down, even if she hadn't realised it herself.

When he was later drafted as the Tsuchikage's apprentice, he heard of a rumour that one of Iwa's council had ordered one of the Iwa shinobi to watch them, to find a way to get rid of Hikari, the free-spirit that would eventually lead Deidara, and maybe even Han, out of Iwa.

Deidara never said a word. He silently stewed, until he became a jonin and joined the Explosion Corps.

Sometimes he wondered if he was being too optimistic. Sometimes he wondered if Hikari was still alive somewhere out there. Sometimes he wondered if she would forgive him for not avenging her.

 _Hikari never believed in vengeance. She believed in patience. Why hold a grudge when you could wait for the right time, then release all their deepest darkest secrets, humiliate them, make them suffer, and making them end their own lives?_

 _Rokudo Mukuro and his reincarnations were meant to be feared for a reason. They were each ruthless and utterly horrifying in their own way._

 _Hikari was both the best and the worst, only second to Mukuro. How could you attack something that just wasn't there? If you got stronger when you tried to protect what you love, then Hikari had the most to protect out of all her reincarnations, and with even more a reason to grow stronger._

On her birthdays, Deidara often spent his time in the graveyards, drinking with Han.

He never knew that his sister was so jaded, but he should have realised that earlier.

Han never knew that Hikari had it in her to be so hopeful and brilliant even though she had seen the darkness of the world.

The two of them spent that day drinking to a little girl, a little girl who wasn't so little after all, but had to be erased before she got too big for the world. She saw one of them as a brother and another as a brother figure. Was it so surprising that they would get on well?

Deidara decided to leave on Hikari's eighth birthday. All he offered to Han was an almost imperceptible nod, which Han returned. He then snuck into Iwa's records and rummaged through the scrolls, until her found a particular kinjutsu.

He then set bombs all around Iwa, and packed what he had into a storage scroll before leaving.

For his sister, he had thought, looking back at the massive explosions that had shook the earth to its core. He smiled and left.

 _A Bingo Book on the table top was left open. When the flames enveloped it, an unread page was singed. On it, was a blurry picture of two blondes and an albino._

 _He never knew that she had been there all along._

 **-End Interlude-**

* * *

A/N: Time to answer some questions.

hachinonana: Hikari knows Kenjutsu, but that's all skills. She doesn't have the muscle memory. Takao uses all kinds of swords, but he largely prefers katanas.

Elizabeth: Thanks for your reviews. No, Hikari won't let Naruto hide whatever skills he has learnt. It's one thing for her to do so, and it's another thing for Naruto to do the same.

Hajimaru-sensei: I think I've answered this before. Hikari will not be teaching Naruto how to use Flames for whatever reason she has. And Hikari knows just about nothing on ninja arts. All she will be teaching him is a little history, stealth and basic martial arts, etc.

For the rest of the reviewers, thanks for the reviews!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own either Naruto or Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

* * *

They escaped in time. Hikari looked back as the genjutsu was dispelled and the raging fire was seen. There were panicked yells. A dark smile touched her lips for just a moment. She had forgotten just how easy some humans were. The smile was quickly wiped away. She wasn't the bringer of chaos, not anymore. Right now, she was Kubatsu Hikari, a better-than-average child. She could no longer inspire fear on the very ground she walked.

Kubatsu Hikari was dispensable to Konoha and to Iwa. Iwa had attempted to kill her and failed. Konoha was just biding its time, waiting for all her usefulness to be wrung out. She was too free, she wasn't loyal to Konoha. Just killing her straight out was detrimental, and the Hokage knew it. Naruto was attached to her, and the village's jinchuriki had to be pleased, if only in this aspect. Naruto was loyal, and that loyalty could not, in any way be harmed. That was why Kubatsu Hikari had to go.

Hikari knew this. She had realised it the moment she met the eyes of that old man.

Perhaps that was why she had asked for the both of them to be allowed to roam free. The Hokage would get rid of her sooner or later. He was only appeasing her now, because he felt pity for her. He pitied the bright little girl whose flame he would have to snuff out less she influence Konoha's demon container.

Let the girl have her fun. She won't live much longer.

Too bad for him, Hikari knew that all along. She walked in his dreams, knew all his plans. And she knew how to counter every single one. She was Kubatsu Hikari, but she was also Rokudo Mukuro, the Master of Illusions, and the Dreamwalker. She was Kubatsu Hikari, a girl who was nothing special, yet she was also Entaka, the best assassin to have ever lived. She was deadly, yet charismatic. No one could ever hope to manipulate Rokudo Mukuro, not anymore. Rokudo Mukuro had been manipulated enough by Reborn and Vongola Nono. Kubatsu Hikari would not allow herself to be manipulated by the grandfatherly-seeming Sandaime Hokage.

Kubatsu Hikari wouldn't so easy to kill. She wasn't a normal girl after all.

As of now, she had interacted with a Kage. The both of them were meant to be watched out for. They had done Yagura a favour, and he would repay them. Kimimaro was unexpected. She hadn't thought that he would be in that very same cave, but it was a nice surprise. Kimimaro, if taught right, would become a strong player in this game. His clan was deemed dangerous enough to be deserved to be wiped out, just like the Uzumakis.

Hikari just needed to play her cards right. The Hokage had unknowingly laid himself a trap. All she needed was to spring that trap.

* * *

"Naruto," Hikari called over her shoulder, "spit it out."

Naruto had a sullen look, like he had just been done a great injustice.

"Why would Kimimaro be killed? Konoha wouldn't do that!"

Hikari's face softened.

"Are you sure?" She asked softly. To her right, Kimimaro remained silent. Hikari had a feeling that he was brought up to remain silent and do whatever he was ordered to do. That was something she needed to fix.

"I-Yes!" Naruto stumbled over his words slightly.

"Really?"

"Yes! The old man would never do that!" Naruto protested.

"I see." Hikari stated simply, and felt for the wildlife.

She touched a magpie with a Mist-infused finger. The magpie flew off, as per her will.

Above them, three ravens flew in a circle.

Two shinobi had been following them until before they reached Wave. The shinobi stayed out of Wave, and resumed following them when the both of them left Wave. Then, they lost the shinobi when Naruto's seal malfunctioned yet again. And still, the shinobi were catching up. She would give the shinobi two days before they were within hearing range.

"Naruto. The old man does not want me in Konoha." She stated simply.

"But he does!"

"The old man does not want me near you."

"Hikari…" Naruto frowned.

"Naruto. The old man wants me dead." She told him. Kimimaro bristled slightly at her statement. He had already developed feelings for the both of them? Sooner than expected. Hikari patted his arm gently.

"He doesn't!" Naruto protested.

"Naruto. Konoha treats you lesser than dirt."

"They don't." Naruto disagreed, but he seemed slightly confused and afraid.

"Konoha treats one of their own like a monster. I was born in Earth Country. Konoha hates Iwa. They treat me like one of Iwa. Konoha does not like me. And unlike you, they can and they will get rid of me. I'm too close to you for their tastes. I'm too close and too free. Konoha will never be able to chain me down, and they know it."

"I'll just keep close to you then!"

"Naruto. I hate Konoha." Hikari stared straight at Naruto. Naruto visibly deflated.

"I hate Konoha, but I stayed for your sake. I can't stay in Konoha, Naruto. Not anymore. Did you know that there were two shinobi following us? Possibly so that a tragic accident could occur. Maybe the old man really sees you as a grandson and not just a tool. I wouldn't know. But I am nothing to him. He doesn't know me, he has never seen me grow up. And most importantly, he thinks that I could change your allegiance."

"But I'm loyal to Konoha." Naruto stated mulishly.

"I know. The old man knows. And he wants it to remain that way."

Naruto looked conflicted.

"If Konoha will get rid of me so easily, they won't hesitate to do the same to Kimimaro." Hikari finished.

"I-I need…" Naruto trailed off. Hikari smiled softly and ruffled his hair.

"We'll give you some space to think. Come on Kimimaro, let's go catch some fish." Kimimaro dutifully followed her, sending Naruto one last worried look.

* * *

"Kimimaro." Hikari turned to face the albino as soon as they were a distance away from Naruto. Kimimaro inclined his head in askance.

"Yes?"

"You know that you can't go back to Konoha with Naruto. I don't think I can either."

"…I know." He sounded defeated and so very young. Hikari was reminded that he was only eight. She slipped her hand into his. Kimimaro stared at their intertwined hands, a slight glistening in his eyes.

To be kept from human contact… Hikari was reminded of a young Mukuro. She squeezed his hand.

"We'll stay together. Naruto just needs time. We might not be welcome in Konoha, but Naruto will always accept us. The three of us will be together." Hikari reassured.

"Forever?" Hikari hesitated. She was an illusionist first and foremost. There was no such thing as forever. But Kimimaro looked so hopeful…

Hikari mentally cursed her bleeding heart.

"Not forever, no." Kimimaro's face fell.

"One day, you'll decide that you want to leave and have an adventure of your own. But until that day comes, we'll stay with each other. You, me and Naruto." If some parts were left open to interpretation… It might be a white lie, but it was for a friend, and that was enough for her.

Kimimaro relaxed slightly. Hikari quirked a small grin at him. He was so insecure, so innocent, so malleable. Hikari banished that last thought.

'I am Kubatsu Hikari.' She repeated mentally.

"Do you know how to manipulate chakra?" She asked the albino, shifting to another topic on hand. Kimimaro shook his head.

"You can manipulate bone, right?" Kimimaro promptly pulled out his spine. Hikari's eyes widened, possibilities running through her head.

"Yes, I can. My bones grow back faster than most."

"I see. You use a certain energy, right? Tap into that energy. That energy is chakra." Hikari started to explain chakra theory, using a leaf as a demonstration.

Kimimaro tried to copy her. The leaf started to spin faster and faster, then it shot away. It impaled itself into a tree trunk. Hikari hummed thoughtfully, fingering a leaf.

"Well, let's go catch some fish. We can't possibly get back to Naruto empty-handed." The both of them headed to a nearby stream.

A moment later, at the spot where the two were, a red-eyed crow squawked, a leaf through its body. Black blood dripped down from the body to the grass. Its red lifeless eyes gleamed ominously. Perched above it was a snowy owl, a '六' on its right eye. The snowy owl hooted intelligently. Minutes later, the snowy owl flew off, the red eyes of the crow gouged out.

 _Rokudo Mukuro had always loved symbolism, even if it had yet to happen._

* * *

Hikari watched as Kimimaro shot bone pellets at the fishes.

He was actually adorable. Just like Chrome had been.

Physically, the albino reminded her of Byakuran. A part of her was still waiting for Byakuran to suddenly pop out of nowhere. That part of her greatly desired to stick Byakuran's head through a spike. Logically, the chance of meeting Byakuran was close to none, especially if her theory was correct.

But… Hikari threw a leaf. It was impaled into a tree. She smiled at the alarmed look on Kimimaro's face.

"Don't worry, it's nothing." She reassured.

As Kimimaro went back to 'fishing', Hikari's thoughts wandered once more.

The albino behaved like Dokuro Chrome once did. He was sweet in that innocent way. So sweet, and with the potential to be so deadly.

Kimimaro was more attached to her than with Naruto. Especially after their earlier talk. Yes, he liked Naruto. Who didn't? But he relied on her so much more.

Hikari came to the startling realisation that she once again had another apprentice on her hands. At least this one was more like Chrome than Fran.

* * *

Naruto kicked a rock.

All his ideals of his home had just been pried open and thoroughly shattered.

The sad part was- he wasn't even surprised.

Because he had instinctively known all that. Konoha hated him, and they didn't want Hikari, his only friend.

Was that why he had felt the shinobi back at the start of their journey?

Konoha wasn't nice. He repeated the thought. Well, he had known that. He had always known. Why else would Konoha throw him into the red-light district and avoid him?

Before Hikari, he hadn't known happiness, not really. But Konoha wanted to steal his only friend away from him. Friends, he corrected, thinking of Kimimaro.

Wasn't that why this conversation was started in the first place? Because Konoha couldn't let Kimimaro or his clan live?

Konoha stole his parents away. He was fine with that, he had always known that. But taking Hikari away from him…

He loved Konoha, he truly did. But he loved Hikari and Kimimaro too. They were his first friends. Hikari taught him so much, and Kimimaro was so much like him that it hurt.

Both he and Kimimaro were orphans. They were both shunned by Konoha, in different ways.

Hikari… she was an orphan too, but she had a brother, who was looking for her somewhere out there.

Naruto started when a white rabbit jumped out of the bushes.

There was something wrong… with the rabbit? His instincts screamed at him.

Ah, it was spring. Not winter. He stiffened when a shadow loomed over him.

That explained the rabbit.

* * *

Hikari hummed a jaunty tune as Kimimaro unsuccessfully tried to cart around the fishes that he had caught.

Sometimes, she forgot that her group was full of children, with Kimimaro being the oldest at the age of eight.

She mentally frowned when one of her birds sent her an image of a man with a large sword.

She honestly expected him later, much much later. He was about six years too early. And his apprentice- his apprentice was located much nearer to them than to Naruto.

Were they dangers? Hikari reviewed her memories.

No, they weren't. Her Sky was safe, for now.

If Naruto didn't do the sensible thing and run away, Hikari was going to give him a lecture on common sense. Maybe she would confiscate his sealing materials as punishment?

At least these strangers weren't all that antagonistic.

Hikari sighed when another image was mentally sent to her.

"Don't worry, Kimi-kun. It's nothing."

Kimimaro stood straighter at her nickname for him, visibly touched.

Right, she needed to slowly accustom him to human contact, right? But she couldn't approach him the same way she did with Naruto. How troublesome.

But, Hikari amended when Kimimaro looked at her, his head cocked like that of a puppy, it was worth it. She hugged the older boy. He awkwardly put his arms around her, trying not to seem like he was really that desperate for positive human contact.

Right now, she would let Naruto sort out his own problems. Maybe it was a good thing that Momoichi Zabuza and Haku arrived as they did. Naruto didn't need to talk to her right now, he needed the help and advice of a stranger.

"Come on, Kimi-kun, how about I teach you how to make a basket from leaves?" Hikari smiled at his hesitant look.

"But Naruto…"

"Naruto can wait. He needs time to himself. We won't take too long either."

"…Alright."

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Naruto challenged.

"Me? Who the hell are you, brat?" The masked nin returned, holding up the rabbit by the scruff of its neck. It squeaked, a surprisingly un-rabbit-like sound.

"Stupid brat and his damned pets." The man muttered under his breath.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! I'm going to be the next Hokage!" Naruto introduced himself immediately. It was a surprisingly automatic response. Had he really been doing this for his entire life? Naruto frowned as he started to review himself, something that he had never really done.

His shoulders slumped and he kicked another pebble.

"Damn me and my bleeding heart." Zabuza muttered, once again, under his breath. The man let out a harsh sigh.

"Fine. What the hell is the matter?" He asked gruffly.

"I-I…" Naruto trailed off uncertainly.

"My name's Momoichi Zabuza, brat. Better?" The missing-nin snapped.

"I… I really wanna be Hokage, but Hikari says that Konoha's really mean! I mean, she's right and all, but I just don't get it! Konoha's the nicest, right? So why would Konoha want to get rid of her? Sure, I have Mister Furry in my stomach, but that's not a reason, right?" Just like that, the dam burst and Naruto started babbling away.

Zabuza blinked, trying to make sense of the young boy's words. It sounded like the kid just realised that Konoha was a ninja village. Who the hell was Hikari, and Mister Furry? Didn't that make the kid a… oh. He took another look at the whining brat.

The kid was a jinchuriki. Damn. Just his luck.

"…and I don't want Kimimaro to die! He's like my second friend ever, but I like Konoha too, even if Konoha doesn't really like me all that much! And, and, and I really want the three of us to live together in Konoha, but what if Hikari's telling the truth and Old Man Hokage will really kill the two of them off just cause they're scared of the two of them? I don't want my only friends dead! But then, Konoha! And I really really wanna be Hokage!" Naruto sniffled.

Zabuza cursed his bleeding heart one more time. Great. A whining jinchuriki brat with issues.

He shifted slightly so that he had a better grip on the snow rabbit.

"Uh, brat." He started uncomfortably.

"Konoha is a shinobi village. That's what shinobi villages do." He told the young boy bluntly. Naruto hung his head.

"And, uh, I'm not the best person to help you with this, but get over it. Your friends aren't even shinobi, they can disappear just fine. Don't know about you, what with *cough*Mister Furry*cough* and all."

"You're saying the same things as Hikari." Naruto accused.

"Look, brat-" "My name's Naruto! Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo!" "-I have no fucking clue who this Hikari is. And honestly, I don't give a shit. If you want your two friends alive, then get them the hell outta Konoha. No ninja village worth their salt will just let two possible threats waltz in and stay like that. Maybe if you become Hokage, but honestly, what's the chance of that ever happening?"

"I can become Hokage!" Naruto yelled.

"You're a jinchuriki, that's what you are. The only jinchuriki to ever become a Kage was Yagura, and he's an asshole."

Naruto frowned as he tried to remember where he heard the name 'Yagura'.

"Oh!" He thumped a fist in his palm. "That's the guy who was being controlled!"

Pause.

"What did you say, brat?" Zabuza asked incredulously.

"Yagura was being controlled by this Madara guy. It's okay, 'cos Hikari freed him and all. We almost died though." Naruto told the man cheerfully, pushing all his previous worries to the side.

"Of course you almost died. We're talking about a Kage! What do you mean that he was being controlled?"

"I had this really cool seal, but it didn't work right and we teleported to Yagura's office. Hikari beat him easily though, but she said that that was because he was taken off guard and underestimated her and all that. Then she did something, and then his personality changed completely. He then became really nice, and started talking nice too. He even promised not to tell Old Man Hokage that we disappeared from Fire Country. We made a promise, you see." Naruto nodded firmly, like he hadn't just said a whole string of words without even pausing once.

Zabuza blinked, and promptly decided that he really needed some sake. The brat was going to give him a headache. And it wasn't even evening yet, he noted, looking up at the sky.

"Brat, I have no idea what's going on, and I do not want to know." Zabuza muttered tiredly.

"But you asked." Naruto stated matter-of-factly, giving the missing-nin an are-you-stupid look. Zabuza refrained from grabbing his sword. From what he heard, he did not want to mess with the kid's friend. No one who beat Yagura easily should be messed with.

"What were you saying about Konoha?" Zabuza decided to change the topic.

"I like Hikari and Kimimaro but Konoha wants to kill them. I like Konoha and Old Man Hokage too, but Konoha doesn't like me, and Old Man Hokage wants my only friends dead."

Zabuza twitched.

"Then why didn't you say that in the first place, brat?"

"My name's not brat! And I did!" Naruto protested.

Zabuza groaned. He really needed some sake; this was going to be one long talk.

* * *

A/N: I feel like I've just experienced writer's block for the first time. So sorry in advance if later updates are slower.

Reviews/ constructive criticism is very much appreciated.


	8. Chapter 7-0

Disclaimer: I don't own KHR or Naruto

* * *

Hikari sighed as she carried the leaf basket of cooked fish. She had stalled for as much time as humanely possible, and the two of them weren't done with their talk yet?

Somehow, somewhere along the way, Haku had joined up back with his master. Hikari's raven didn't dare approach the group any closer than it already had, in fear of being spotted.

* * *

"…But being Hokage has always been my dream!" Naruto declared.

"I'm not asking you to give up your dream, Uzumaki-san. But sometimes, you have to do the unthinkable for your precious people." Haku patiently explained, a hand on his pet rabbit.

Zabuza nodded gruffly along to his apprentice's words, trying hard to pretend that he hadn't lost track of the conversation the moment Haku had introduced himself to the brat.

Hikari and Kimimaro stopped at the clearing. Kimimaro blatantly stared while Hikari would have facepalmed if she weren't holding onto a basket of fish.

"It must have been hard for you, being ostracised from your village." Haku sympathised.

"No! I'm so sorry for being so selfish! You had a harder life than me! My father never tried to kill me, he only ever sealed a big, furry demon fox into my tummy!" Naruto wailed, hugging the snow rabbit like a teddy bear.

"Brats!" Zabuza flailed about, unsuccessfully trying to stop the pity party between the two boys.

Kimimaro gave Hikari a 'what-do-we-do-now?' look.

Hikari sighed once more.

"Ahem." She cleared her throat pointedly. All three males turned to look at her.

"Hikari! Kimimaro!" Naruto lit up, momentarily forgetting about his earlier conversation with Haku. The rabbit took its chance and squirmed out of Naruto's grip and hopped back to Haku's side.

"Your friends are both brats. Yagura was beaten by a brat?" Zabuza mumbled to himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Haku bowed slightly to the two approaching children.

Hikari looked down at her basket, then at the people present.

"We come offering food." She intoned.

* * *

"My story?" Hikari repeated, swallowing the chewed fish meat. Even Naruto looked over interestedly at Haku's question. He hadn't heard of her backstory, despite the little tales she used to regale him with.

"I was born in the outskirts of Earth Country. I have a brother. One day, my parents were killed in action. They were ninjas of Iwa, you see. Then the Tsuchikage decided to adopt me and my brother. One of the Council then decided that I was too free for Iwa and hired a ninja to kill me off. The ninja created an earthquake that broke the cliff me and my brother were on. I suspect that the council member and that ninja were executed, they could have harmed a potential Tsuchikage apprentice after all. I fell off the cliff and met Naruto. And here we are."

The males considered her detached explanation.

"You're too calm about this, kid." Zabuza told Hikari.

"I'm not a kid. I'm just young." Hikari smiled blandly.

"That's sad... I guess…"

"Anyway," Hikari coughed to gain attention, "have you figured out what to do now, Naru-chan?"

"I'm gonna go back to Konoha during winter. But you two can't come with me." Naruto drooped.

"Don't worry about it, Naru-chan. We'll be setting up base in Wave. Then you can tell the Hokage that I found my place in the little village. You can visit us on your holidays." Naruto visibly brightened.

"And once I get my dad's seal right, I can visit you anytime!" Naruto cheered.

Hikari kept silent about the fact that it would take at least five years for him to do so, if he didn't get distracted along the way.

Kimimaro just shrugged.

"Naru-chan? Don't ever use that seal without me." Hikari told him sternly. "Ever."

"Don't worry about it 'Kari."

"We teleported into the office of a foreign Kage."

"It turned out fine!"

"We teleported near a cave and you decided to explore it."

"We found Kimimaro!"

"…Naruto. Just promise me, please." Hikari put her face in her hands.

"Fine." He sulked.

"What seal are you- never mind, forget I ever asked. I don't want to know." Zabuza grumbled. Hikari understood how he felt. It would be like a civilian getting introduced into Tsuna's mafia life. Full of confusion, chaos and unshed tears.

Rokudo Mukuro was born into the mafia world. There was no hope of escape for him. But his reincarnations… Was it really possible for peace to exist when none of them have ever known its meaning?

Hikari gazed around her, at the little misfit group that had gathered here, and found that she didn't know.

Hikari let a small, wistful smile cross her face at the sight before her. A sharp pang momentarily crossed her chest. She ignored it.

She was an illusionist. She existed because of conflict, nothing more. Rokudo Mukuro was never meant to exist; without the Estraneo Familigia, he would never have come into existence. He was an abomination, a freak of nature whose soul even the Shinigami didn't dare collect.

Someone that was broken, someone that just didn't belong. Hikari ignored the pain in her throat. She swallowed it down.

Just like the company she kept. She belonged here. Kimimaro bit the fish uncertainly, a hand holding onto a snow cone that Haku gave him. Naruto was laughing and chattering happily away to Zabuza as the man pretended to clean his sword.

(Somehow, somewhere along the way, Hikari had forgotten what truly being an illusionist meant. But oddly enough, she was fine with that. For now.)

"Hikari! Whatcha think is better? Kenjutsu or ninjutsu?" Naruto beckoned her over.

"I prefer using my kekkai genkai." Kimimaro admitted. Haku nodded along with him.

"I personally prefer genjutsu." Hikari smiled softly at Naruto's outraged expression. Was it so strange that the company he kept would be so like him?

He was a Sky after all. Kimimaro would be the Storm, Haku as the Rain. She would be the Mist. Zabuza? She wouldn't know. Perhaps he just wasn't part of the equation. He lived in different times, and had a different life. But he was still a part of this group, whether he was an element or not.

They were all people who were broken. Some of them were mended, some weren't. But they were healing, all of them.

This was what Kubatsu Hikari wanted.

* * *

"This is Wave?" Zabuza asked gruffly.

"Yep. This will be our home." Hikari nodded, and moved off to Tazuna's house, the group behind her.

After a short explanation that gave practically nothing away about their situation, and a quick demonstration of her skill, Tazuna agreed to let both Hikari and Kimimaro stay in the abandoned house a short distance away. Coincidentally, it was where the future 'Great Naruto Bridge' would be built.

Hikari knew doubt when she saw it- it was all over the villagers' face. But she was fine with it, they would get over it soon.

None of them voiced their feelings out loud, however, and Hikari was glad for that. Wave really was a nice village.

"Will you stay here?" Naruto asked Zabuza.

"No, we'll be moving around. Staying here would raise alarms." Zabuza replied. Naruto pouted.

"If you changed your appearance…?" Hikari prompted.

"Chakra signatures, brat."

"Ah." Hikari frowned. There was a possibility that her illusions could hide someone's chakra signature, but even to an established ally, she didn't want to reveal all her cards or what she could possibly do.

To her right, Kimimaro was grasping Haku's hand. "Visit us?"

"Of course." The other boy nodded.

* * *

It took a week for the ninjas of Konoha to reach Wave. Hikari, Kimimaro and Naruto were spending their time in the town hall, listening in to the civillian teaching. Hikari found it very much educational. She doubted that ninja school taught economics. Kimimaro just listened, occasionally taking down notes. Naruto, oddly enough, was very much interested.

"I have to learn how to take care of myself, dattebayo!" That single statement made Hikari feel like a proud mother-hen.

Hikari stiffened in the middle of the lecture, feeling the shinobi enter the village. While she doubted that the shinobi would attack the both of them when surrounded by so many witnesses, it would still bring along trouble.

"Kimimaro, Naruto." She whispered, gaining the two boy's attention.

"Yeah?" Naruto whispered back, a little louder.

"I'm going to place a genjutsu on Kimimaro and myself. Naruto, pretend that we're just civilians that you just met, alright?"

Naruto looked confused but nodded anyways.

Hikari cast an illusion on the albino. Kimimaro's appearance changed slightly. His white hair was shorter, his face a little plumber. A little adjustment to his physique and he no longer looked like the child of a ninja clan. She then altered her own appearance. Hikari chose Entaka's appearance for convenience's sake. Her blond hair turned black, and her grey eyes had become a lighter shade of blue. She was thinner and looked more petite.

Apart from a noise of startled awe from Naruto, no other indication was given that he knew her.

It was lucky as well that they were sitting at the back, behind a group of adults. None of the civilians saw their change.

It took a few minutes for the two ninja to enter the town hall. The lecturer paused, staring at the two men. The rest of the adults turned to look as well.

Hikari identified the two ninja as part of Anbu, only without their mask.

"We're looking for Uzumaki Naruto." One of them spoke. Hikari recognised the both of them as Uchihas.

"Whatcha want, dattebayo?" Naruto asked loudly.

"The Hokage wants you back. There's been some _interruptions_ in Kiri. We've been asked to escort you back." The smiling one told Naruto, eyes scanning the place, presumably for Hikari.

"Ya haveta go so soon?" Hikari asked with innocent wide eyes.

"Remember us, kay?" Kimimaro added, catching on.

"Right!" Naruto nodded. "Bye Hi-"

"Hitomi and Karasu. Don't forget it." Hikari corrected.

"Right. Hitomi. Karasu." He waved goodbye to the other two children, and left with the shinobi.

He learnt so fast. Hikari suppressed a sigh. She gave Kimimaro a look. Time to train. This world wouldn't wait for them after all.

* * *

The bandits were excellent practise for Kimimaro. Hikari decided as she sat on a tree branch, watching as another bandit was added into the pile.

After deflecting three bandit raids, the townspeople of Wave had started to appreciate the two of them more.

"We're going travelling. We'll be back in about a week, two weeks maximum." Hikari told the 'chief'.

Tazuna nodded.

"Knock yourself out."

* * *

A/N: This chapter is shorter cos I kinda lost inspiration halfway through. I'll probably come back and edit the parts near the end someday.

Thanks so much for the reviews! :)


	9. Chapter 7-5

Disclaimer: KHR and Naruto do not belong to me

* * *

"Kimi-kun, where do you want to go? Iwa, Kiri, Suna, or Kumo?"

Kimimaro held out a hand and let a bird nestle on his finger. His lips were pressed together slightly, a sign that he was thinking.

"What's Kumo like?" He asked.

"Let's go find out." Hikari grinned, Mist Flames enveloping her hands.

* * *

Kimimaro sneezed. A white wisp of vapour formed in front of his mouth.

"C-Cold…" He huddled as close as he could to Hikari without impeding either of their movements.

Hikari nodded in agreement.

This had been slightly unexpected.

"Let's go find the nearest town."

"Without freezing?" Kimimaro muttered somewhat snarkily.

Hikari turned to look at him, and contemplated the possibilities.

While using chakra would keep the both of them warm, it might also attract unwanted attention. So that left using Mist Flames to teleport them somewhere else, but that might be seen. Maybe conjuring up clothes or a fire?

Which would be better?

A moment later, winter clothes appeared on Kimimaro. He gratefully sunk his hands into the furry pouches of the jacket, teeth chattering away.

If he was curious about how solid the jacket felt, he didn't ask.

Hikari assumed that he would do that later back in the safety of Wave.

They walked on, leaving a trail of footprints in the snow-covered mountaintop.

Hikari noticed that despite his colouring being awfully suited to the terrain, Kimimaro wasn't exactly cold-tolerant. Fire Country didn't get as cold as Kumo did after all, Hikari admitted grudgingly.

As it happened, the two children chanced upon an inn in the middle of the way down.

Giving into Kimimaro's pleading gaze, Hikari walked into the inn, Kimimaro close behind her.

It was easy to convince the innkeeper that they were two lost kids that had wandered too far away from their merchant parents.

He let them stay and offered to show them down.

Hikari declined.

"You can give us directions, ossan, we'll find our own way down. Papa said that owing people is bad." Hikari nodded resolutely as she passed Kimimaro a few coins to put on the counter that was too high up for her.

"All right then. Stay as long as you like." The innkeeper offered.

"Arigato!" The two children chorused.

In their shared room, Hikari let the winter clothes dissipate into Mist.

"You can go to sleep now, Kimi-kun."

Kimimaro shook his head and looked like he wanted to say something, but his words were slurred. He fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Hikari sat at the chair, and conjured up a piece of paper and a pen.

'Dear Naruto,

Kimi and I are now in Kumo. We're doing fine. We're doing odd jobs for money, so don't worry about us. What about you? You'd better ace your tests. If there's something that you don't understand, just write to me.

I won't accept anything other than your best from you. You can go a long way; I believe in you. Both Kimi and I do.

Just remember to keep a calm head, and remember that not everything revolves around the power and flashiness of your attacks.

~Kari'

Hikari stared at the letter, and conjured up a raven. She waved a hand as if to send the raven off, but had a second thought.

Another piece of paper was conjured up, but this time, it was a picture of Naruto standing in between his parents. The red-headed woman was beautiful, and her long hair was almost touching her ankles. On the other side was a yellow-haired, Naruto-like replica, but older. He was smiling slightly blandly, a three-pronged kunai in his hand.

Hikari gave the picture another look, and gave it to the raven as well. The raven cawed once and flew off.

Naruto deserved to know his parents. For Kimimaro, it was different. Kimimaro's parents had been cruel to him, they had abused their child. While it might not be entirely uncommon in this world, Kimimaro was now her apprentice, and she would not stand for it.

She wouldn't make him forget the ones who birthed him, but she could give him new memories, and let him have the choice of leaving the past behind.

(No one ever said that she was incapable of changing. But Mukuro would always be surprised at how some humans could affect others.)

Hikari turned off the light and slowly walked to the bed, settling in beside Kimimaro. She stared upwards, noting how the shadows shifted slightly every time a shinobi shunshined past.

Were they careless or-? A loud sound confirmed her suspicions. Probably a genin team.

The chattering of young children filtered through the thin interior walls.

Hikari shifted, getting out of the bed. She wasn't tired anyways. She opened the door and closed it gently. A pause, and she conjured up a man-eating plant that would attack any intruders that tried to take advantage of her sleeping apprentice.

Hikari walked towards the team of four that were seated on a table, drinking what looked like hot chocolate. She sat herself on a chair and faced them, making sure that her eyes were alight with wonder and a slight confusion.

A few seconds passed. Hikari listened to their chatter, and put a slight pout on her lips.

"Whatcha doing?" She asked, tilting her head to the side like a puppy.

It was the kunoichi-in-training that replied her.

"We're just talking, kid. No flashy jutsus here." She waved Hikari off kindly.

"Flashy jutsus? I've never really seen flashy jutsus before." Hikari commented almost-whimsically.

"But there was this really cool jutsu that I saw before, when my parents went to Iwa to sell stuff." Technically, it was true. She was just twisting the facts slightly.

"There was this really cool jutsu that built up a whole mountain!" Hikari threw up her hands like a child would.

"A whole mountain?" One of the genin repeated, sounding disbelieving.

Hikari nodded solemnly. "It was at least two times bigger than me." She whispered.

The ninjas laughed.

"Wanna see something better?" One of the genin asked. Hikari nodded enthusiastically.

The boy clenched his fist. A thin layer of chakra surrounded his hand. The chakra flowed along to the cup, and to the hot chocolate inside. The boy touched the underside of the cup and held it upside down. He showed it proudly to Hikari.

Hikari dutifully clapped.

"That's amazing! But that mountain's still cooler!" Her statement incited a bout of laughter.

"Tough crowd, huh?" The girl grinned. She spread out her fingers. Sparks flew between them. She put her hands together, and electricity flew between her chakra-coated palms. The lightning drew shapes in the air.

Hikari 'wowed'.

"That's the best thing I've ever seen!" She exclaimed.

"Oh please, a beginner could do that! Look at this!" The remaining genin scoffed, and drew water out of the air. It was slowly icing over due to the cold atmosphere. The water spread out and danced around Hikari. Hikari beamed.

An idea struck her.

'Maybe Haku can…' She left that thought for later.

She faked a yawn.

"I'm tired now." She muttered childishly and rubbed her eyes.

"Bye then, go back to your room." The girl shooed Hikari away. Hikari smiled at them and waved.

'How easy to manipulate.' She thought. It didn't escape her notice how their sensei didn't participate. He was more cautious than his students.

* * *

"How was your trip?" The Hokage asked Naruto.

"It was great!" Naruto cheered. "Hikari liked Wave. But she wanted to stay there." Naruto pouted.

The Hokage patted Naruto's head gently.

"You can write to her." He suggested.

Naruto beamed up at him.

"We met this really cool guy! He told me that…" The Hokage sighed as he let Naruto's babble wash over him.

For some unknown reason, the Mizukage apparently had a sudden change of heart, and stopped the bloodline purge.

That was reason enough to withdraw Naruto as soon as he had heard of it. It was suspicious.

"…were they following us?" Naruto asked. The Hokage realised that Naruto had asked him a question.

"Could you repeat that?"

"There were two people following us when we got to Wave." Naruto repeated.

Hiruzen felt his blood run cold.

"Are you sure?"

Naruto nodded.

"Did you see them?" Sarutobi frowned ever so slightly.

"Nope. Hikari told me to run away."

The Hokage sighed faintly in relief, and met the eyes of one of the Anbu hidden in his office. The masked shinobi shunshined away. This would be looked into.

* * *

Naruto bustled around his apartment, trying to keep it clean. A raven flew in and perched on the kitchen table. Naruto blinked owlishly and held out his hand. The raven dutifully opened its beak and let the papers fall down.

The photograph was the one that he first spotted.

Naruto picked it up and looked at it for a long time. The Anbu watcher looked at the scene strangely, and moved closer for a look. An impossible picture stared back at him.

* * *

"Thanks ojii-san!" Hikari shouted to the innkeeper and hurried Kimimaro outside.

"C-Cold…" He muttered, the winter clothing gone.

Hikari glanced around at her surroundings and caught sight of a large piece of bark.

"Kimi-kun, do you think you can smoothen this out?"

A moment later had the two kids sliding down the rocky, snow-covered mountain in a makeshift sleigh.

Kimimaro silently screamed, his hands wrapped around Hikari's waist. The blonde-haired girl wore a smirk as their ride hit a rock and flew into the air.

A few minutes later…

Kimimaro stumbled off the wood and collapsed face-first into the snow. Hikari sat on a rock, watching her apprentice's antics with an air of tolerant amusement.

* * *

A/N: So, yep! Here's the other half of the chapter.

So Hikari became so overconfident that she mistook the Hokage's intentions. While he might try to get rid of her or pawn her off when she got too wild for them when she's older, she's still a kid to him.

So yep, that's the explanation.

Constructive critism is appreciated!


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